The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Journalists wave black flags at Kunhalikutty

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Wednesday, Nov 03, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Journalists wave black flags at Kunhalikutty

By Our Staff Reporter

Activists of the AIYF shouting slogans against the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Tuesday. Photo: S. Gopakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 2. Mediapersons shouted slogans and waved black flags at the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, when he came out of the venue of the United Democratic Front (UDF) liaison committee meeting at the Cliff House here on Tuesday evening.

The journalists, many of them sporting black badges, were protesting against the attack on mediapersons allegedly by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) activists in Kozhikode on Monday. Mr. Kunhalikutty chose not to speak to the media and left the Cliff House amidst tight police security at around 7.30 p.m.

High drama

It was an afternoon of high drama at the Cliff House, the official residence of the Finance Minister, Vakkom Purushothaman. Mr. Kunhalikutty, who arrived in a police vehicle for the UDF meeting at around 3.30 p.m., was shown black flags by a group of journalists outside the entrance. The police stopped them from following the Minister's car into the Cliff House. More journalists arrived and they pushed through the police cordon and mobbed the portico of the Cliff House. At the time, the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, and senior UDF leaders were holding discussions inside.

Attack condemned

The former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran and his son, K. Muraleedheeran, were among the first to come out of the UDF meeting. Mr. Karunakaran condemned the attack on mediapersons but did not give any specific answer to the questions regarding Mr. Kunhalikutty or the UDF. Soon Mr. Purushothaman appeared on the portico and asked journalists to show "restraint". The Finance Minister's utterance drew loud boos and slogans.

As Mr. Purushothaman withdrew from the scene, Mr. Chandy came out of the meeting and walked into the midst of the journalist crowd. He struck a reconciliatory tone with the mediapersons and asked the Kerala Union of Working Journalist (KUWJ) leaders to meet him on Wednesday morning. Some journalists told Mr. Chandy that they were "attacked" by IUML workers who took out a march to express solidarity with Mr. Kunhalikutty.

Scuffle on M.G. Road

A violent stand-off between IUML workers on one side and media persons and Left Democratic Front (LDF) activists on the other resulted in a skirmish on the M.G. Road in front of the Secretariat on Tuesday morning. Twenty-nine IUML workers and four journalists were injured in the melee. An IUML worker, Naseer, 28, of Kaniyapuram, suffered serious head injury in the violence.

The IUML workers got into a verbal tangle with some journalists covering the march at around 11. 30 a.m. The situation took a turn for the worse when LDF supporters, who were protesting against Mr. Kunhalikutty, took the side of mediapersons. The police formed a human wall to separate the groups. Suddenly some threw stones and the 200-odd IUML activists ran away from the spot.

Protest march

Several LDF organisations today took out marches demanding the resignation of Mr. Kunhalikutty. The Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, the CPI(M) State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, and the CPI State secretary, Veliyam Bhargavan, addressed the protestors.

Mr. Kunhalikutty, who arrived at the International Airport here from Kochi at around 3 p.m., was whisked away in a police vehicle to the Cliff House. The Additional Director General of Police, Ramesh Chandrabhanu, accompanied the Minister who chose to leave the airport through the cargo clearance area. Mediapersons were waiting to stage a black flag protest against the Minister in front of the international terminal when they learned that Mr. Kunhalikutty had left by an international flight.

Bus destroyed

A protest march allegedly organised by the CPI(M) on the Balaramapuram-Vizhijam road this evening turned violent with the protestors smashing the windscreen of a KSRTC bus.

The activists were demanding the resignation of Mr. Kunhalikutty. The march turned violent without any provocation. The police detained six persons in connection with the incident.

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