The Hindu : Kerala / Kollam News : AISF activists lathicharged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kollam

AISF activists lathicharged

Staff Reporter

Nineteen admitted to hospital; call for education bandh in Kollam district today

TOUGH FIGHT: The police lathicharging AISF activists who tried to barge into the Deputy Director (Education) office in Kollam on Monday.

KOLLAM: Activists of the All India Students Federation (AISF), who staged a protest in front of the Deputy Director (Education) office here on Monday, were lathicharged.

Nineteen AISF activists, who were injured, have been admitted to hospital.

The condition of AISF district secretary Sajilal is critical. AISF district president Sunil has also been hospitalised.

In protest against the police action, the AISF and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) have called for an education bandh in Kollam district and observation of a protest day in other districts on Tuesday. AIYF State unit president P.S. Supal, MLA, said this at a press conference here on Monday evening.

It was from the Chinnakada Rest House complex that AISF activists took out the march to the DD (E) office at Thevally. This was in protest against Sunday's lathicharge on AISF and activists of other student organisations who had tried to disrupt the entrance test conducted by self-financing professional colleges.

The demonstrators who tried to barge into the office were blocked by the strong posse of police posted there. They squatted on the road shouting slogans. Later, they again tried to barge into the office. This time, the police resorted to lathicharge. Many of the demonstrators were beaten up, arrested and taken to the Kollam West police station.

The police said that the AISF activists had provoked them to resort to lathicharge by assaulting some of the policemen, including the Sub-Inspector of Kollam West station.

Tension gripped the police station premises when those arrested blocked entry into it by squatting there and shouting slogans in protest against the alleged refusal of the police to hospitalise the injured.

Later, State-level leaders of the AISF and AIYF arrived at the scene and bailed out the arrested. The injured were then admitted to the District Hospital here.

SFI activists injured

Our Staff Reporter adds from Pathanamthitta: Eleven Students Federation of India (SFI) activists, including party district secretary Roshan Roy Mathew and joint secretary D. Janeeshkumar, were injured in police lathicharge on the Mini Civil Station premises here on Monday.

Around 25 SFI activists, protesting against Sunday's police action on the SFI-AISF workers in different parts of the State, barged into the Mini Civil Station premises around 11 a.m. The police closed the Mini Civil Station gates as soon as the protestors entered the civil station premises.

SFI leaders alleged that they were brutally lathicharged without any provocation. The police had also used electric batons, leaving burn marks on the victims, they said.

The Dy.SP, Sisupalan, told The Hindu that 11 SFI activists, including its district president, were arrested in connection with the incident and that they had been admitted to the Pathanamthitta General Hospital.

Scribe assaulted

It has been alleged that the Deshabhimani scribe Dileep Malayalappuzha was assaulted by the local SI. The police had abused press photographers who were capturing the scenes of commotion at the Mini Civil Station, it was alleged.

Protest march

The youth and student organisations of various Left parties staged a march in the town in the afternoon, protesting against the police action.

They staged a sit-in on the Thiruvalla-Kozhencherry Road. In a statement here this afternoon, Janata Dal State general secretary Varghese George condemned the lathicharge.

The SFI district-unit has called for a strike in the district on Tuesday.

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