Published Sep 03, 2026 | 1:55 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 03, 2026 | 1:55 PM
Sujith was allegedly assaulted by police personnel at the Kunnamkulam station on 5 April 2023.
Synopsis: Youth Congress activist VS Sujith has accused the Keralam government of failing to act on assurances of justice after he was allegedly assaulted by police at the Kunnamkulam station in 2023. CCTV footage, obtained after a nearly two-year battle under the Right to Information Act, shows police personnel holding Sujith down and assaulting his back and face; four accused officers were suspended in September 2025.
Youth Congress activist VS Sujith has accused the Keralam government of failing to act on assurances of justice given to him after he was allegedly assaulted by police inside the Kunnamkulam police station in Thrissur, a year after CCTV footage of the incident came to light.
In an open letter posted on Facebook, Sujith asked where justice was and urged political leaders who had assured him and his family of support to act at least once. He tagged Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC President and Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph.
The assault was allegedly in response to Sujith questioning the police over alleged threats to his friends in Chovannoor.
Sujith said several leaders had promised that they would stand with him and fight until justice was delivered after he was allegedly beaten by police personnel. He said assurances were also given that the officers responsible would be removed from service.
“My family and I waited, believing those words. Today, a year has passed. Our government has come to power. One of those who declared support is now the Chief Minister, another is the Home Minister, and another continues as the KPCC president. But what action has the government taken?”
He said he was seeking justice, not political protection. Justice, he said, should not be delayed to protect those who allegedly committed excesses while wearing khaki.
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Sujith was allegedly assaulted by police personnel at the Kunnamkulam station on 5 April 2023. CCTV footage of the assault, obtained after a nearly two-year legal battle under the Right to Information Act, showed him being held down and assaulted on his back and face by Sub-Inspector Nuhman and civil police officers Sashindran, Sandeep and Sajeevan.
The footage became public after the State Information Commission ordered the police to hand it over.
The assault was allegedly in response to Sujith questioning the police over alleged threats to his friends in Chovannoor. He was forcibly taken to the station in a police jeep without a shirt and was later accused of being drunk and obstructing police duties.
A medical examination ordered by the Chavakkad Magistrate’s Court found that he was not intoxicated. A subsequent court-directed medical test confirmed that he had suffered hearing loss due to the assault.
His complaint was initially not acted upon. A case was later registered on the court’s directions and is now under trial. A report by Crime Records Bureau Assistant Commissioner KC Sethu had also confirmed the custodial assault and referred to CCTV evidence of the attack.
Officers Nuhman, Sashindran, Sandeep and Sajeevan were suspended in September 2025 after the Deputy Inspector General recommended their suspension following the registration of a criminal case and citing the need for a transparent investigation.
Another accused officer, Shuhair, is working in the Local Administration Department.
Chief Minister Satheesan, then the Leader of the Opposition, had termed the suspension “too little, too late”, saying it should have been ordered when the incident occurred two years earlier.
The Congress, then in the Opposition, had organised mass protests outside police stations across Keralam over the incident.
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
