Congress-led UDF opposition leaders in Kerala, including Oommen Chandy and Shashi Tharoor, were among those who courted arrest as part of a state-wide agitation against alleged police brutality and custodial deaths under the LDF government.
While former chief minister Oommen Chandy led the protest in front of the Kottayam collectorate, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and Tharoor, MP, participated in the sit-in in front of the state Secretariat.
Hundreds of UDF workers also took part in the protest against LDF government's "anti-people policy."
The protest comes in the wake of incidents of alleged police brutality, including the recent custodial death of a 26-year-old youth, Sreejit, at Varapuzha near Kochi.
Inaugurating the protest here, Chennithala said the law and order situation had collapsed.
"Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has lost control over police," he said.
Referring to the killings of a CPI(M) worker and BJP activist in Mahe and Kannur last night, he said the chief minister should resign as things had gone beyond his control.
The Congress leader also lashed out against state DGP, Loknath Behera.
"People in the state are facing lot of hardships and they will give a befitting reply to the LDF in the May 28 Chengannur bypoll," he said.
Those who courted arrest included G Devarajan, Forward Bloc National Secretary, former health minister, V S Sivakumar and IUML state secretary Beemapally Rasheed.
In a tweet, Shashi Tharoor, MP, said "Our protest was mainly against police brutality & custodial deaths under the LDF government.
They celebrated the proletariat on Marx's bicentenary this week but are assaulting the proletariat in their lockups. The politics of violence must end in Kerala. Hence our peaceful protest."
Kerala PCC President, M M Hassan, UDF convener P P Thankachan,former KPCC President, V M Sudheeran and IUML State secretary, K P A Majeed, were among those who participated in the protest in various parts of the state.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)