Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muralidharan has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of sanctioning third degree in police stations.
Speaking to journalists after visiting the house of an alleged custodial torture victim, Suresh from Thiruvallam, Mr. Muralidharan said police had turned tormentors instead of protectors under the Pinarayi regime.
Taxpayers feared approaching police stations. They would get no justice. On the other hand, criminals and thugs prey on law-abiding citizens. The sheer ineptitude of the police had caused crime to spiral upward. Thiruvananthapuram had emerged as the crime capital of Kerala, he said.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition repeatedly had failed to highlight police atrocities and rising crime. He said the front appeared to be hands in glove with the government and on a mission to shield Mr. Vijayan from criticism.
