The Opposition United Democratic Front, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Revolutionary Marxist Party on Wednesday called for a strike in Kerala to protest against the arrest and manhandling of student Jishnu Pranoy’s mother. Pranoy, a student at Nehru College of Engineering in Kerala’s Thrissur district, allegedly committed suicide on January 6.

Pranoy’s parents, Mahija and PK Ashokan, were staging a demonstration outside the Thiruvananthapuram police station demanding the arrest of those responsible of their son’s death, reported The Indian Express. The police had warned protesters from holding agitations there, saying it was a restricted area.

When the police clashed with protestors, Pranoy’s mother was injured and later admitted to the hospital, reported News18. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan supported the police action, saying the trouble was caused by outsiders who were part of the protest. ”Certain external elements joined them when they were on their way to the office and attempted to enter the office. This is when the police prevented them from doing so,” Vijayan was quoted as saying by The News Minute.

Mahija said she was kicked, pulled down and dragged into a police van. “Later, I felt dizzy inside the police van and was taken to the hospital,” she added.

The 18-year-old is said to have hung himself inside his room after he was allegedly caught cheating during an examination. However, his classmates and senior batch mates unanimously said that he had been badly beaten by the college management for questioning why the examination was being conducted by a private agency instead of by the college itself.