Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 (PTI): Amidst widespread protest over the manhandling of former diplomat T P Sreenivasan by SFI activists, disciplinary action has been initiated against five policemen who were on duty at the venue of Global Education Meet and a manhunt has been launched to trace the accused.

The "erring" policemen would be sent for intensive refresher training as part of the departmental action. "Two sub-inspectors and three constables will be sent for intensive refresher training at Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur. An oral enquiry has also been ordered into the incident," a top police official told PTI.

There were allegations that police had remained a mute spectator while Sreenivasan, who is also the Vice Chairman and Executive Head of Kerala State Higher Education Council, was attacked by the agitators in Kovalam yesterday.

Police sources said a massive manhunt has been launched to trace the key accused who slapped the diplomat. Meanwhile, CPI(M) veteran and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan today demanded strict action against the SFI activists who attacked the former diplomat.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the agitators had crossed the limit and the party cannot approve these kind of personal attacks. The party's district secretary Kadakampally Surendran had apologised yesterday itself for the misbehaviour of agitators belonging to SFI, the student wing of CPI(M).

SFI activists had attacked Sreenivasan during their protest against the "commercialisation of higher education" near the venue of Global Education meet at Leela Convention Centre in Kovalam.

Sreenivasan was the former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna, and Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia.

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