Kerala - Alappuzha   

Congress observes hartal in Alappuzha municipality

Staff Reporter

In protest against `attack' on activists, DCC office

ALAPPUZHA: A hartal was observed in the Alappuzha municipality on Thursday from 2 p.m. to evening following a call by the District Congress Committee "to protest against the attack on Congress leaders and the DCC office here on Wednesday" in connection with the bypoll at the Cheramankulamgara ward in the municipality.

Alappuzha MLA K.C. Venugopal said anti-social elements unleashed violence in the town under the direction of CPI(M) leaders against Congressmen after the byelections on Wednesday following the realisation that the LDF candidate would lose.

He said that Congress Alappuzha block secretary K.J. Marshal and Youth Congress leader Chacko James were brutally attacked with lethal weapons by a gang. But the police remained mute spectators, he said.

Mr. Venugopal said both the leaders were admitted to Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. He noted that the situation at Cheramankulamgara was peaceful till 4 p.m. and after that violence erupted.

The violence was planned by the CPI(M) and the police refused to act against the assailants, Mr. Venugopal said.

He said the Circle Inspector who was in charge of security of the elections asked Congressmen to remove Mr. Marshal from the place but failed to take any meaningful action against the assailants.

The MLA observed that the assailants threw stones at the houses of three Congress councillors and later they attacked the DCC office also.

Though the Congress had filed a complaint with the police, the criminals were roaming scot-free in the town. DCC president C.R. Jayaprakash said the Congress would deal with the attack politically and the Congress representatives and party leaders would hold a satyagraha in the town on Friday afternoon.

A protest meeting would be held in the evening and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala would inaugurate the meeting, he said.

DCC secretary and leader of Opposition in the Alappuzha municipality A.A. Shukkoor said the perpetrators of violence had the support of Alappuzha municipal chairman P.P. Chitharanjan.

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