Overview
- Police used water cannons to disperse AISF and AIYF protesters near the Kerala Assembly on Monday, triggering a dispute over the quality of water sprayed.
- Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan brought a bottled sample into the Assembly and said the water was visibly contaminated and caused itching and clothing discolouration among protesters.
- Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said water for cannons is normally drawn from the Kerala Water Authority and ordered that the sample be sent to a laboratory while asking the City Police Commissioner to investigate.
- The ruling UDF challenged the sample’s provenance in the House on Tuesday, saying the bottle contained water taken from a roadside puddle after the spraying and citing published photographs.
- The incident has refocused debate over the PM SHRI school scheme and could force tighter oversight of crowd‑control practices if lab results confirm contamination; the Assembly will consider the findings when they are reported.