Congress MP Shafi Parambil alleges he was attacked in Perambra by ‘tainted’ police official

Shafi Parambil, Vadakara MP, has claimed that the police official who attacked him with a lathi at Perambra in Kozhikode, Kerala, on October 10 had earlier faced disciplinary action on multiple charges.

Addressing the media in Kozhikode on Thursday (October 23, 2025), the Congress leader identified the official as Abhilash David, an Inspector attached to the police control room at Vadakara.

Mr. Parambil had to undergo a minor surgery after he suffered nasal injuries during the incident.

Mr. David, however, told a section of the media later that though he was on duty at Perambra on that day, he was not part of the team which covered the United Democratic Front (UDF) protest march.  

Mr. Parambil, while exhibiting videos of the incident, claimed that Mr. David’s action against him seemed deliberate as he was attacked at least thrice with the lathi.

He alleged that Mr. David had earlier been suspended from service for suspected links with goonda gangs. He was later reportedly dismissed from service in January 2023 for official lapses during an investigation into a case registered under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the MP said.

CPI(M) links alleged

Mr. Parambil also alleged that Mr. David was a fellow traveller of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].

“Other than the then Vadakara Deputy Superintendent of Police R. Hariprasad, who has since been transferred, no police personnel suffered any injury during the incident at Perambra. Mr. Hariprasad was injured after a tear gas shell he was carrying burst when its pin fell off. The UDF workers did not create any provocation. I was trying to calm them down,” he said.

Mr. Parambil alleged that the police acted against him at the behest of the CPI(M) to divert attention from the “gold plate theft” controversy at the Sabarimala temple. This was also evident from the “slow pace” of investigation into the case filed in connection with the incident, he said.

His statement was yet to be recorded and the inquiry to find out those behind the attack had been frozen, he said.

The Congress leader said that a complaint had already been filed with the Parliamentary Privilege Committee, and the videos and visuals of the police action would be presented before it. Legal action would be sought against Mr. David, he added.

Favourable tribunal order: official

Meanwhile, Mr. David told the media that he had appealed against the disciplinary proceedings in the State Administrative Tribunal, managed to get a favourable order, and was subsequently reinstated into the service.