The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Lathi charge at KSU march

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Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Lathi charge at KSU march

Staff Reporter

Protesters hurl stones at police, try to break into Secretariat

—Photo: S. Gopakumar

Cornered: A KSU activist gets a taste of police ire near the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Several protesters were injured when the police used lathis to disperse a Kerala Students Union march that turned violent in front of the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Nearly 100 KSU activists had marched from Asan Square to the Secretariat to protest against the ‘collusion’ of the State Government with ‘profit seeking’ private managements of self financing colleges.

The marchers attempted to break into the Secretariat. They tried to pull down the iron barricade in front of the gate. Later, the activists staged a dharna in front of the gate.

The protest turned violent when some activists attempted to rush the police cordon guarding the road leading to the Cantonment gate of the Secretariat complex. The activists hurled stones at the police posse. The policemen in anti-riot gear lathi charged the protestors. Most of the activists fled. The police singled out and beat those who could not flee in time.

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has accused the police of using force against peaceful student protesters. In a statement here, KPCC general secretary Joseph Vazhackan said the Government was trying to stifle the democratic right to protest against its policies. He said the same police had remained inert when activists of Student Federation of India (SFI) disrupted the entrance examination conducted by private self financing medical college managements in Kochi recently. He accused the police of aiding SFI activists who went on the rampage in the examination hall, threatening students, parents, teachers and destroying furniture. The KPCC has demanded departmental action against the police officials who ordered the lathi-charge.

The police used water cannon to disperse National Youth Congress workers who marched to Cliff House on Tuesday to press their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the CPI(M)-run Deshabhimani newspaper management’s alleged acceptance of money from ‘shadowy’ businessmen.

The NYC workers pulled down iron barricades placed by the police on the road from Devaswom Board junction to the official residence of the Chief Minister.

In a press release, the NYC claimed that several of its activists were injured in the police action.

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