Use of murky water to disperse AIYF, AISF protesters: Pinarayi brings sample to Assembly

Published 22 June 2026 · india

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan brought a bottle containing the sample of contaminated water into the Assembly during the discussion on the revised Budget

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan brought a bottle containing the sample of contaminated water into the Assembly during the discussion on the revised Budget for 2026–27 on Monday (June 22, 2026), alleging that the police had used water cannons filled with contaminated water during an Assembly march taken out by the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) in protest against the government’s decision to proceed with the PM Shri agreement. Bringing the issue to the attention of the Assembly, Mr. Vijayan said that the police had sprayed highly contaminated water on the protesters.

Holding up the bottle of water collected from the protest site, he alleged that the water was extremely dangerous and could spread even amoebic encephalitis. Responding to the allegation, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said that this was not the first time water cannons had been used on protesters in the State. However, he clarified that the water used in the cannons was collected from the Kerala Water Authority. It was not known whether dirt accumulated in the tanker had contaminated the water. He also assured the House that the sample would be sent to a laboratory for testing and that instructions had been issued to the Police Commissioner to investigate the matter.

The Minister further stated that the issue would be taken seriously and that steps would be taken to ensure that such an incident did not recur. As Opposition members demanded further discussion on the matter, Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who explained that water had been sprayed on him too from water cannons, said that the issue would be discussed again after the laboratory results were received. K. Rajan, MLA, who was present at the site to inaugurate the march, said that they were not afraid of water cannons or any other means employed by the police to disperse the protesters.

However, he alleged that the quality of the water used was extremely poor and that it had even altered the colour of the girls’ dresses. The police used water cannons three times on activists who attempted to cross the barricades erected at the protest site. The protesters claimed that black mud was sprayed initially, followed by yellow murky water from the tank.