Cong Workers Rough Up Mediapersons Who Came To Cover 'Faction' Meet

A group of media personnel who came to report a faction meeting being held at a hotel in Kozhikode on Saturday, of the ‘A faction in the Congress, were allegedly roughed up by party workers.

A woman journalist had to bear the brunt of the party workers' anger, as they did not want any media attention on the meeting.

"I don't know why I was roughed up. My chain was broken and my shirt was torn in the pulling and pushing," said a peeved journalist who suffered the worst.

Even though the 'A' faction in the Congress party is known after former Defence Minister A.K. Antony, it is now led by two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, with Antony having no role in it.

Ever since the party high command took over the party activities in the faction ridden Congress in Kerala after the April 6 assembly poll debacle when it appointed K. Sudhakaran as the new state party president and V.D. Satheesan as the Leader of Opposition, the 'A' and 'I' factions, presently led by senior legislator Ramesh Chennithala, who were once foes have now joined together to oppose Sudhakaran and Satheesan.

However, with Chandy partly incapacitated due to health issues, aberrations have taken place in the 'A' faction which in some districts has split further. It was one such faction which met under the leadership of former Kozhikode DCC president U. Rajeevan.

While the police have started a probe, the Congress state leadership has decided to find out what actually happened.