Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 13 : Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of adopting an 'ostrich-like attitude' by ignoring mounting outrage over custodial torture and corruption scandals in Kerala.

'The police have been reduced to an instrument of fear, behaving like loyalists to the ruling party rather than protectors of the people,' said Satheesan, pointing to a string of incidents that have rocked the state in recent weeks.

Satheesan said the silence of the Chief Minister, who is also the Home Minister, was 'unbecoming of a constitutional authority".

"By ignoring repeated reports of brutality and corruption, Vijayan has eroded public trust and undermined Kerala's democratic fabric. The beginning of the end for this government has already begun,' Satheesan warned, vowing to intensify opposition protests inside and outside the Assembly, which will be open for session from Monday.

He highlighted the shocking treatment of Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists, who were recently produced in court with their heads covered and hands shackled.

'Are they terrorists or hardened criminals'? he asked, calling the act a disgrace to democracy.

Satheesan's remarks came against the backdrop of unprecedented dissent within the CPI(M)'s own youth wing.

'The Thrissur district secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) recently alleged that district leaders have become 'a robbery gang,' profiteering from shady deals and even controlling police postings for commissions,' said Satheesan.

"If district leaders are robbers, then the state leaders are looters,' the youth leader declared, adding to the embarrassment for the ruling party.

The Karuvannur cooperative bank scam, in which depositors lost over Rs 400 crore, also continues to haunt the government. Families who had saved money for surgeries, weddings, and homes have been left destitute.

Satheesan further said that the Enforcement Directorate probe into the scam has been deliberately blunted, while victims wait in vain for relief.

Meanwhile, the family of another DYFI activist has accused the police of falsely implicating him in a case and torturing him to death in custody -- an allegation that has only deepened the sense of crisis.

/IANS