Chaos prevailed on the premises of the Kottayam municipal office on Wednesday following a blockade by CITU workers in protest against the move by the local body to evict street vendors.
The drama began to unfold around 10.30 a.m. when a section of Congress councillors reached the municipal office here to attend the council meeting. As the protesters did not let them in, the police held discussions with the protesters, though to no avail.
Irked by this, a section of Congress councillors led by former municipal chairman M.P. Santosh Kumar picked up an argument with the police.
Injured
The altercation soon escalated into a minor clash after one of the councillors, Rijesh C. Brisvilla, sustained minor injuries allegedly after being assaulted by the police. Later, the police forcibly removed the protesting councillors from the location, which followed another round of altercation between the police and the councillors near the Seematti round.
“The police had been informed of the council meeting a day prior to the protests, but they chose not to act. We had been made to wait on the footpath for more than an hour, delaying the start of the council meeting,” Mr. Santosh Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the injured councillor was admitted to the Kottayam district hospital. The tension eased as the crowd dispersed around 12.30 noon.
The councillors later lodged a complaint with the District Police Chief against the alleged police inaction.
The Kottayam West police have booked cases against the protesters for unlawful assembly and obstructing public way.
However, no case has been registered against those who attempted the road blockade as no one had filed a complaint, the police said.
Earlier in the morning, CPI(M) district secretary V.N. Vasavan inaugurated the blockade at the municipal office, in protest against a drive by the municipal authorities to evict unauthorised street vendors. Though different rounds of discussions were held, the municipality insisted on the vendors paying a fine, triggering protests.