Kerala Opposition Leader Brings Contaminated Water Sample to Assembly, Alleges Police Misconduct
On Monday, June 22, 2026, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan brought a bottle containing a sample of murky water into the Kerala Legislative Assembly during the discussion on the revised Budget for 2026–27. He alleged that the police had used water cannons filled with contaminated water to disperse protesters from the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF). The protest was against the government's decision to proceed with the PM Shri agreement.
Mr. Vijayan held up the bottle and stated that the water was highly dangerous, claiming it could even cause diseases such as amoebic encephalitis. He demanded an explanation from the government regarding the use of such water on protesters.
In response, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala acknowledged that water cannons had been used on protesters in the state before. He clarified that the water used in the cannons was sourced from the Kerala Water Authority. However, he noted that dirt accumulated in the tanker might have contaminated the water. The minister assured the assembly that the sample would be sent to a laboratory for testing and that the Police Commissioner had been instructed to investigate the matter. He further stated that steps would be taken to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.
As opposition members pressed for further discussion, Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who mentioned that water from cannons had been sprayed on him as well, announced that the issue would be discussed again after receiving the laboratory results.
K. Rajan, MLA, who was present at the protest site, said that while the protesters were not afraid of the police's tactics, the quality of the water used was extremely poor. He alleged that the water changed the colour of the clothing of some female protesters. The police reportedly used water cannons three times on activists who attempted to cross barricades. Protesters claimed that black mud was sprayed initially, followed by yellow murky water from the tank.
