Thiruvananthapuram:
The police used water cannons outside the Kerala Assembly today against a large group of demonstrators demanding the removal of PJ Kurien as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha over allegations that he was among 42 men who raped a woman in 1996.
In 2007, the Supreme Court exonerated Mr Kurien. The Congress government in Kerala has said this proves there is no need for him to be re-investigated.
But the survivor of the Suryanelli rape case - named for the part of Kerala that she belongs to - has alleged that Mr Kurien raped her at a guesthouse, but was left off the hook by the police because of his political clout.
Yesterday, the survivor's mother wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, urging that Mr Kurien be re-investigated. With just weeks to go before the budget session of Parliament begins, the controversy around Mr Kurien is becoming problematic for his party.
(Read: Congress under pressure to act against PJ Kurien over rape allegations)Calls for Mr Kurien's dismissal - made largely by the Left - have spiked since the Supreme Court earlier this month ordered a retrial of the Suryanelli case, setting aside the Kerala High Court's order of 2005, in which 35 men accused of raping the woman in 40 days were acquitted. Mr Kurien was not among them. The Supreme Court has asked for the High Court's verdict within six months.