Congress MLA and former Kerala Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Wednesday exhibited a grenade shell to the Legislative Assembly. He claimed the police had used this grenade during a clash with Youth Congress workers last week, ANI reported.

On February 26, several Youth Congress workers had protested against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after he refused an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into a party worker’s murder. However, on Wednesday, the Kerala High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into Muhammad Shuhaib’s death.

The Congress had accused workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) of murdering Shuhaib. So far, the police have arrested 11 CPI(M) workers in the case. The agitation had turned violent after protestors pelted stones at the police and the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. The police used teargas shells and rubber bullets to quell the protests.

During a Home Affairs Department discussion, Radhakrishnan accused the police of using brute force against civilians during agitations. Then he produced the grenade he had kept in an envelope.

“Kerala is witnessing police raj these days,” he said. “This grenade was used after its expiration date. Using such grenades will create severe health problems. My intention was to bring it to the notice of the home minister. Anyone who walks in front of the Assembly can collect many grenades these days.”

Legislators of the Left Democratic Front as well as the chief minister opposed Radhakrishnan’s move and said MLAs were not allowed to bring firearms inside the Assembly, reported India Today. Unfazed by the criticism, Radhakrishnan said he would submit the grenade for examination. “The Home Ministry should take action against the police officers who used expired grenades,” he demanded.

Speaker P Sree Ramakrishnan said he would call for an investigation to check whether Radhakrishnan had breached the code of conduct.