CCTV footage has surfaced showing Youth Congress Chovannur Mandalam president Sujith V S being brutally assaulted inside the Kunnamkulam police station on 6 April 2023. The visuals were obtained following a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Sujith.
According to the case registered in the Kunnamkulam First Class Judicial Magistrate Court, Sujith suffered hearing loss following alleged custodial violence by Sub-Inspector Nuhman and CPOs Sashindran, Sandeep, and Sajeevan.
The incident reportedly began when Sujith questioned police officers who were allegedly threatening his friends standing by the roadside at Chovannur. Enraged, SI Nuhman allegedly brought Sujith to the station in a police jeep, where he was assaulted in custody. Sujith stated, “Just before reaching the station, the police jeep was stopped on the road. Sajeevan, one of the officers, opened the back door and assaulted me. Once inside the station, the officers together subjected me to brutal thrashing.”
Police later filed a FIR against Sujith, accusing him of public nuisance and obstructing duty under the influence of alcohol. However, a medical report confirmed he had not consumed alcohol, and the Chavakkad Magistrate Court granted him bail.
Following the assault, Sujith filed complaints with senior police officials and the Human Rights Commission. A departmental inquiry retrieved CCTV evidence showing five policemen beating him inside the station. Judicial Magistrate L Jayanth subsequently ordered a case to be registered against the accused officers. Advocate CB Rajeev, also Kunnamkulam Block Congress president, represented Sujith in court.
The Crime Records Bureau (CRB) inquiry, led by Assistant Commissioner Sethu K C, confirmed the assault. The footage reportedly shows officers continuing the assault upstairs in the CCTN room in the presence of Sub-Inspector Nuhman. Officers were also seen removing Sujith’s ring, bracelet, and chain, and one officer carried a stick while escorting him out of the room.
Sujith further alleged that police tried to offer ₹20 lakh through Congress leader Varghese Chovannur to withdraw the case, an offer he refused.
Reacting to the incident, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned the custodial violence, wrote, “The custodial violence against Youth Congress leader Sujith by Kunnamkulam Police is deeply disturbing. Assaulting a citizen for questioning police threats is not just unlawful — it is inhuman. Such officers, who violate the very principles of justice and dignity, have no place in the police force. They have forfeited the moral right to continue in service. The CM and Home Department must act. Silence cannot be the shield for such brutality. @CMOKerala @IYCKerala”
Disciplinary action is being considered against the police officers involved, and further proceedings are expected to be conducted under the direct supervision of the court.
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