The capital city turned into a battlefield on Monday when Youth Congress workers clashed with the police in front of the Secretariat, bringing vehicular traffic along the key arterial road to a standstill.
The demonstration turned violent when YC workers began to hurl various items towards the security staff at the Secretariat premises.
The agitators, however, claimed that they were provoked and attacked from within the compound.
The violent confrontation unfolded in the presence of a large number of passersby with vehicles passing by the area in both directions. Besides, a large number of protesters including those representing the Sidhanar Service Society and the Kerala Government Junior Public Health Nurses and Supervisors Union were already present in the area as the protest march undertaken by the YC approached the Secretariat. Several people, including children and senior citizens, could be seen running helter-skelter as they were unintentionally caught in the crossfire.
With the protesters refusing to disperse, even with several tear gas shells burst, the police caned the agitators, leaving many injured. The no-holds-barred struggle took place while V.P. Sajeendran, MLA, and other prominent Congress leaders including Benny Behanan, T. Saratchandra Prasad and District Congress Committee president Neyyattinkara Sanal were present at the protest ‘pandhal’.
Three police personnel, including Cantonment Assistant Sub-Inspector Satheesh Kumar, civil police officers Ratheesh and Jaisingh, were injured in the clash.
The injured agitators were identified as Ansar, Manukrishnan, Sreejith and K.S. Gopakumar. Shashi Tharoor, MP, K.S. Sabarinadhan and M. Vincent, MLAs, visited the protest venue at the conclusion of the agitation.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala visited the injured Youth Congress workers at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital. DCC president Neyyattinkara Sanal, KPCC secretary Valsalan and DCC secretary Malayankeezhu Venugopal were also present.
While there were no arrests, the Cantonment police have registered a case against over 500 workers, including eight leaders, under various charges including rioting and destruction of public property.
Officials of the city traffic police were kept on their toes as they struggled to ensure unhindered vehicular flow during the course of the agitations in front of the Secretariat.
Traffic restored
Traffic along the MG Road could be restored only after close to an hour.
