The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : DIC(K) youth activists clash with police; 39 injured

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 09, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

DIC(K) youth activists clash with police; 39 injured

Staff Reporter

39 injured in police action

TENSE SITUATION: Activists of the Democratic Indira Congress (Youth) being chased by the police during a march to the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

Thiruvananthapuram: The police used water cannon and stun grenades to disperse Youth Congress(Indira) activists who hurled stones and tried to break a police cordon near the War Memorial during a march taken to the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

The march was taken out from near the Press Club by the district committee of the Youth Congress(Indira) in protest against mounting unemployment and alleged anti-people policies of the Oommen Chandy Government. The police put up barricades near the War Memorial to prevent the activists from marching to the legislature complex.

Democratic Indira Congress(Karunakaran) State president K. Muraleedharan inaugurated the march. The trouble began after DIC(K) parliamentary party leader T.M. Jacob started addressing the activists. Taking the police by surprise, five activists who came from behind the barricades started raising slogans.

Soon, some DIC(K) youth activists who were in front of the barricade started throwing stones at the police personnel. They attacked the police personnel with sticks and flag posts and were seen trying to break the police cordon. When the situation went out of control, the police used water cannon to disperse the mob. As the activists regrouped, the police used eight stun grenades and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protestors.

A section of the protestors who withdrew after the police action destroyed the banners of Youth Congress activists participating in a rally led by Youth Congress president K.P. Anil Kumar.

This led to a verbal duel between the two groups. The Youth Congress workers, in turn, destroyed the banners of the DIC(K).

The police entered the reception committee office of the Youth Congress near Fine Arts College and used force to disperse the DIC(K) activists. The DIC(K) activists who were returning later attacked the car of the Backward Classes Commission near Palayam. A tense situation prevailed in the Palayam-War Memorial area for over an hour in the afternoon.

Later, IGP (South Zone) T.P. Sen Kumar and DIG (Thiruvananthapuram Range) Anil Kant rushed to the spot and spoke to Mr. Anil Kumar, Congress leader Kodikunnil Suresh and others to defuse the situation.

As many as 39 persons, including Youth Congress(Indira) president Ebrahimkutty Kallar, were injured in the police action. They were admitted to Medical College Hospital. The Museum police have registered a case. Five DIC(K) workers who were arrested from the spot were later released on bail.

The Youth Congress(Indira) State committee has deplored the police action and has urged all `mandalam' committees to take out torchlight processions in the State on Thursday in protest against the police action.

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