‘Law Is Equal For Everyone’: Chennithala Vows Action Over YouTuber Assault Inside Police Station

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday assured strict action over the alleged assault on YouTuber Rajan Joseph by a group of Youth Congress workers inside Adoor police station in Pathanamthitta district, asserting that the law is equal for everyone and no one would receive special treatment.

Chennithala said the Director General of Police (DGP) had directed the Superintendent of Police (SP) to submit a report on the incident. Further action would be taken after reviewing the findings, if necessary. A case had already been registered and one person arrested, while the investigation was underway, he said, adding that violations of the law would not be tolerated, irrespective of the identity or position of those involved.

The minister was responding to questions about CCTV footage, aired by television channels on Saturday, purportedly showing Youth Congress workers assaulting Joseph inside the police station in July. The visuals appeared to show Congress leader Sreena Devi Kunjamma, who had filed a complaint against Joseph, confronting him while he was in police custody.

Joseph was arrested in July following a complaint alleging that he had posted defamatory content about Kunjamma on social media. Police subsequently registered a case against around 20 people over the alleged attempt to assault him.

Meanwhile, Chennithala launched two digital initiatives, HM Acts and HOMES, to improve grievance redressal and monitor police functioning.

HM Acts will enable registration and tracking of petitions submitted to the Home Minister's office, with complainants receiving updates on action taken. HOMES will provide real-time crime statistics, including FIR registrations and categories of offences, through a dedicated dashboard. Confidential investigation details and personal information will remain excluded.

The minister also announced that women's representation in the Keralam Police would be increased to 30 per cent, revising the existing male-female recruitment ratio from 9:1 to 7:3.