The Hindu : Kerala / Pathanamthitta News : DYFI march turns violent in Kollam, Pathanamthitta

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Pathanamthitta

DYFI march turns violent in Kollam, Pathanamthitta

Staff Reporter

Beginning of the end of Oommen Chandy Government, says CPI(M)

HELPING HAND: Women constables supporting the police personnel standing in the front row in an effort to block a group of Democratic Youth Federation of India activists from entering the Mini Civil Station premises in Pathanamthitta on Monday.

PATHANAMTHITTA: Hundreds of workers belonging to the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) laid siege to the Civil Station here on Monday, protesting against the police action on students in different parts of the State.

The march, which began from Kannankara in the municipal limits, was inaugurated by DYFI State joint secretary R. Sanalkumar.

The DYFI district leaders Roy Philip, N. Sajikumar and Remya Surendran also addressed the march.

The police made elaborate security arrangements in the town, especially around Government establishments, in the backdrop of the DYFI call for a protest march.

A group of DYFI activists also made a futile attempt to break the police cordon and barge into the Mini Civil Station when the siege was in progress.

The siege ended later in the afternoon.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) district unit condemned the alleged police action on Monday on the party headquarters, AKG Centre, in Thiruvananthapuram while the party State committee was in progress.

The CPI(M) staged a protest march in the town later in the afternoon.

Party district secretary K. Ananthagopan alleged that the police action on the AKG Centre without any provocation was the beginning of the end of the Oommen Chandy Government.

Mr. Ananthagopan alleged that the Chandy Government was trying to paralyse the democratic system and deny the citizen's right to protest against the social injustice being perpetrated by the Government itself in a peaceful manner.

He alleged that the Government was solely responsible for whatever violence going on in the State in connection with the students' agitation.

The CPI(M) leader alleged that the police were instructed to brutally deal with the students, including girls, who were on a peaceful protest against the anti-people educational policy of the Government.

Mr. Ananthagopan also alleged that the brutal police action against the otherwise non-violent student agitation was a big blow to democracy itself.

The CPI(M) district leaders, K.C. Rajagopal, T.K.G. Nair, V.R. Sivarajan, V.K. Purushothaman Pillai, Abraham Mannaickal, Anilkumar, Zakeer Hussein and Amrutham Gokulan, participated.

Seven hospitalised

Our Kollam Staff Reporter writes:

A march by activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) to the taluk office here on Monday turned violent. Seven DYFI activists were hospitalised after being injured allegedly in the lathi-charge by the police to bring the violence under control. Protesting against the lathi charge, the activists set ablaze a Government jeep.

The march was organised to register protest against the police action against the Students Federation of India (SFI) activists protesting against the Centralised Allotment Process for professional courses.

Though a strong police cordon was present at the taluk office entrance, the DYFI activists broke the cordon and barged into the taluk office complex. This led to fisticuffs with the police and soon the police resorted to lathi charge.

Seven DYFI activists, including district president K. Sethumadhavan and secretary P.K. Gopan, were injured and hospitalised. Soon afterwards another group of DYFI activists protesting against the lathi-charge set ablaze a jeep of the Vocational Higher Secondary Education Department at Polayathodu in the city.

Meanwhile, at Kottarakara, the CPI(M) march held in protest against the police action on SFI activists also turned violent. The protesters stoned and damaged five KSRTC buses.

The police chased the demonstrators and arrested five persons within the area committee office complex of the CPI(M).

This resulted in the demonstrators attacking the police by throwing stones. Two constables were injured in the stone throwing and they have been hospitalised.

At Kollam and Kottarakara, the CPI(M) organised marches in the evening protesting against the police action.

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