Kerala - Kozhikode   

Police lob tear-gas shells, use water cannons

Staff Reporter

Three arrested at counselling venue

SCENE OF VIOLENCE: The police directing water on student activists while a tear-gas shell explodes in a corner during a protest march to the Centralised Allotment Process venue in Kozhikode on Friday. — Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

KOZHIKODE: A technical snag led to the suspension of the Centralised Allotment Process (CAP) for admission to professional courses from 11.55 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Institute of Management in Government, near Medical College campus, here. A Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. leased line developed the problem.

Twenty-five candidates within 161 ranks in the State medical entrance rank-list were allotted colleges by 11 a.m. Another 25 up to the 300th rank had registered for the process when the snag developed, leading to suspension of CAP at the three centres in the State.

The snag occurred at 4.30 p.m. again and the process resumed by 5 p.m. Seventy candidates up to rank 400 were allotted colleges by 6.30 p.m. The counselling process continued even after that to make up for the delay.

The process will continue from 8.15 a.m. to 5.45 p.m. on Saturday for students with ranks from 600 to 1,200.

Protest

Minor incidents of violence marked protests against CAP by students' organisations. The counselling process was disrupted around 9.30 a.m. as Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Students Federation of India (SFI) workers staged a protest.

Masil, a degree student of Devagiri St. Joseph's College; Mansoor, a Plus Two student of Kozhikode Model Higher Secondary School; and N.K. Prasanth, DYFI Kakkodi block committee member; were arrested in this connection. The police said Masil, who was able to enter the counselling hall using a fake admit card, tried to destroy two computers. Mansoor and Prasanth, who posed as parents of candidates, were arrested at the entrance of the hall.

Earlier, the police surprised the SFI and DYFI activists, numbering more than 1,000, led by Mathai Chacko, MLA, and Elamaram Kareem, who were marching to the counselling centre, by directing water on them using a water cannon and exploding a couple of tear-gas shells as they reached within 100 metres of the barricade put up near the Doordarshan Kendra, 250 metres from the counselling venue.

One of the tear-gas shells exploded on landing on the front row of the agitators, including girls. The SFI State committee member P.M. Girish and DYFI district unit president P.K. Premnath were injured. Mr. Chacko and Mr. Kareem were seen arguing with the police over the sudden action.

The police exploded three tear-gas shells again and advanced 50 metres from the barricade towards the agitators as stones were thrown on them when SFI national president K.K. Ragesh was speaking. The police action was triggered by the blocking of a jeep carrying wireless sets by the DYFI and SFI workers and subsequent throwing of stones. Three policemen and a Desabhimani reporter, Vijayan, sustained minor injuries. Later, a small group of All-India Youth Federation (AIYF) and All-India Students Federation (AISF) activists marched to the venue. They were stopped at the barricade.

Eight activists of the Kerala Students Union (Indira), who tried to break into the barricade, were lathi-charged. T.Y. Shihabudheen, vice-president of the union, and Shameen Haksan, executive committee member, were injured in the head. They were taken to Medical College Hospital in a police van. The police later arrested the AIYF-AISF workers and removed them from the venue in a jeep.

Six wireless sets were missing from the police jeep. Two of the sets were recovered from the bushes nearby. More than 500 police personnel were deployed in and around the venue.

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