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Several journalists injured in police action

By Our Staff Reporter

Policemen using force to remove journalists, who were protesting against the Industries Minister P. K. Kunhalikutty, at a hotel in the city on Tuesday. Photo: Vipinchandran.

KOCHI, NOV. 2. Fifteen-odd journalists were injured when policemen tried to clear a way for the Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty, to leave a hotel in the city on Tuesday.

The newsmen were protesting over the attacks on mediapersons in Kozhikode allegedly by Muslim League activists following the events relating the Minister in a sex scandal which was reported widely in the media.

Held up

Mr. Kunhalikutty was held up for nearly two hours at the hotel before he was whisked away by the police. The Minister left for the Cochin International Airport to take a flight to Thiruvananthapuram amid tight police security.

Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the All India Youth Federation, the Yuva Morcha and the Yuva Jana Vedi who had gathered outside the gates of the hotel were stopped by the police and removed using force.

Five admitted

Among the 15 journalists injured in the event, five have been admitted to the Medical Trust Hospital.

The Minister was at Hotel Le Meridien to attend a meeting with a delegation of officials from the Dubai Internet City. He was to take the 2 p.m. flight to Thiruvananthapuram to attend a UDF meeting, but managed to leave only by 1.15 p.m. after DIG, R. Sreelekha, and the ACP, Trikkakkara, Santhosh Varma, arrived on the scene.

In the midst of policemen escorting Mr. Kunhalikutty to his car, the slogan-shouting journalists booed at the Minister and dropped a black cloth on his face.

Black badges

Earlier, a few journalists had reached the hotel around 10 a.m. to track the visit of a Parliamentary Committee on Employment when they heard about the presence of Mr. Kunhalikutty in the hotel. The news about the Minister's presence brought a crowd of over 150 journalists on the scene.

The Minister was expected to leave by 11 a.m. but the growing number of journalists outside the hotel lobby, all wearing black badges, perhaps delayed the programme. He sent a message that he was ready to talk with reporters but the journalists did not accept the invitation as a meeting with the Minister was not on the agenda.

The mediapersons said that they went to register their protest against the Minister as per the call of the leaders of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists to observe a black day.

Protests

The law and order situation has worsened in the State, said the BJP State president, P.S. Sreedharan Pillai. He accused the Muslim League `goondas' of taking law into their own hands. As the Government has failed to protect the life and property of people, the Chief Minister should resign, he said. Mr. Kunhalikutty will be burnt in effigy on Wednesday in all the village centres, said the State committee member of the DYFI, V. A. Zakir Hussain.

The General Insurance Officers All India Association (Kerala) protested against the attack on journalists. The general secretary of the Association, P. P. Mohanan, said that attack on mediamen was an infringement on the right to information.

The Yuvajana Vedi State president, P. S. Rajagopalan, and the Janathipathya Vanitha Sanghatana secretary, T. B. Mini, demanded a judicial probe into the Kiliroor sex-scandal and ouster of Mr. Kunhalikutty from the Cabinet in the wake of revelations in the ice-cream parlour sex scandal.

The Television Chamber of Kerala president, K. V. Shaji, and secretary, Kuttan Alappuzha, protested against the attack on mediapersons.

The Kerala Latin Catholic Association president, Felix J. Pulloodan, the Kerala Cartoon Academy chairman, Balachandran, also registered their protest against the attack on mediapersons.

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