Congress MLA and former Lok Sabha MP Ramya Haridas was injured after a physical confrontation between Congress workers in Kerala's Chirayinkeezhu area of Thiruvananthapuram on 4 September. It has created a political storm in the party as police have filed a case against seven workers after Haridas’ complaint, as it is the first time anything like this has been reported on social media.
The incident had begun when Haridas had visited the house of a Congress worker identified as Sajad along with her secretary. The visit was allegedly related to a dispute about the role of a staff member in a panchayat meeting and a critical post that had been shared on WhatsApp. So what started as a discussion on the issue turned into a heated argument and turned physical.
Haridas, who is a Dalit woman and former Lok Sabha member, claimed she was assaulted during the encounter. Police then filed charges against seven Congress workers after her complaint. In addition to assault, it also includes provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The incident has brought another layer of tension in the local Congress unit, especially as the party prepares for election contests. Internal disputes and factional disputes have been suggested as factors of the fight, although the exact circumstances leading to the physical clash are not known.
The Congress workers identified in the complaint have disputed Haridas’ version of the events. They say the MLA herself initiated the physical confrontation. Their assertions add to the dispute as the two sides have differing accounts of what was at stake. Police will have to look at the two competing claims and take into account their evidence.
Videos of the confrontation also appeared online in the online debate and the video has also made it right up there in the news media and social media which has been widely shared among political observers and on social media users. The video has become a source of debate in political observers and others. It has been cited by opponents of the Congress party to question the Congress party’s position on issues of women and people in the marginalised communities and how it behaves at the time of the confrontation. Some people have questioned the party’s public political messaging and the party’s internal activity of its workers.
The controversy is especially significant because of Haridas’ political background. She is a Dalit woman leader and former parliamentarian, and her allegations of assault against members of her own party are being taken into account as a Dalit woman leader and former parliamentarian. The SC/ST atrocity law has only intensified the case and the conduct of those involved.
The Congress leadership is said to have launched an internal inquiry into the incident as tensions continue to simmer in the local organisation. It will look at what happened, Haridas' allegations and the workers' counterclaims.
As for the party it’s at a sensitive time in terms of local politics ahead of elections. Internal conflict could affect the organisation’s unity and campaign activity, especially at the grassroots level where party workers are the key players.
Congress’s feminism in a nutshell.
— Anoop Antony Joseph (@AnoopKaippalli) September 5, 2026
Rahul Gandhi gives grand speeches on fighting patriarchy, while his own cadre physically assaults their own woman MLA, Ramya Haridas, in broad daylight. Congress CM VD Satheesan cowardly deletes his post defending women just to appease… pic.twitter.com/58az8odhDy
Meanwhile, the police investigation will establish what happened in the confrontation and to what extent the injuries Haridas reported were caused. Evidence from the ones at the scene, video footage or other evidence will help investigators understand the competing claims.
As it is, the incident has once again underscored problems for political parties when internal disagreements turn into public confrontations. Congress has begun looking into the issue at an organisational level but the police case will proceed separately based on the allegations and evidence collected during the investigation.
As the controversy continues, attention will be likely to be on the police investigation, the findings of the Congress inquiry and whether the competing allegations by Haridas and the party workers lead to further disciplinary or legal action.
