Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 18: A CPI-M MLA brought two teargas grenades to the Kerala Assembly on Monday to buttress his point about police brutality towards students!

Holding up the grenades, EP Jayarajan claimed that the police had used them against members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) during the latter’s protest here last week.

However, Speaker G Karthikeyan pointed out that bringing in explosives of any kind and exhibiting the same in the Assembly is not allowed as per the rules. Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan took a similar stand.

Though the Speaker asked the watch and ward staff to seize the grenades from Jayarajan, the Left Democratic Front continued to press for an adjournment of the proceedings to discuss the police action against the students.

After Karthikeyan denied permission for the adjournment motion, Leader of the Opposition VS Achuthanandan led a walkout.

Later Radhakrishnan refuted the opposition’s allegations. He said that the police were forced to act by the students who had gheraoed the place where Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was scheduled to speak at a meeting on Jun 14.

Radhakrishnan added that the students not only blocked traffic in the area, they also indulged in stone pelting.

Jayarajan asserted that the police were not provoked, yet they had resorted to a lathicharge and also lobbed teargas grenades to disperse the protesters. He rued that several students sustained injuries due to this.

The students were demanding the arrest of those who murdered SFI leader Aneesh Rajan.