Congress legislator assaulted in Kerala

A senior Congress legislator was assaulted Wednesday in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district by a group of people whom the legislator described as activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"There were lot of people and I could recognise some. But many of the attackers were not from here. I have come to know that they are RSS workers," alleged K. Sivadasan Nair, who is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Aranmula, near district headquarters town of Pathanamthitta, about 105 km from here.

The attack took place when the legislator was going to inaugurate a temple festival in Aranmula.

Speaker of the Kerala Assembly G. Karthikeyan has asked state Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan to conduct a probe.

Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said strict action would be taken against Nair's attackers.

The Congress party has called for a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the district Thursday to protest against the attack.