THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Secretariat witnessed violent clashes when protest marches taken out by Youth Congress and Yuva Morcha against ministers KT Jaleel and EP Jayarajan – which reached the spot one after the other – turned violent after police used force to disperse the groups. Several protesters, including women, sustained injuries in the police action on Tuesday.
There were four agitations on Tuesday: one each by Yuva Janata Dal, Youth Congress, Yuva Morcha and SDPI to the Secretariat. Police registered four cases against the members of these organizations. Those booked include Congress MLAs Shafi Parambil and KS Sabarinadhan.
They also recorded the arrest of six Youth Congress members who managed to barge into the Secretariat annexe premises during the agitation. They were identified as Nabeel, Mathew, Bahul Krishna, Anoop Ittan, Adarsh and Jasheer.
The capital witnessed violent agitations on the fourth consecutive day in connection with minister K T Jaleel’s interrogation by enforcement directorate.
It was Yuva Janata Dal that took out the first march, followed by the SDPI. As Youth Congress activists, who had assembled in front of the Trivandrum Press Club, started marching towards the Secretariat, the long march of Yuva Morcha from Killippalam too reached neraby.
Police had to hold off Yuva Morcha activists at Ayurveda College Junction as Youth Congress activists blocked the road at Statue Junction. The efforts of the police to disperse Youth Congress agitators using force before Yuva Morcha too reached the spot led to the clash. Police used water cannons when Youth Congress members stood their ground and refused to retreat.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran claimed that opposition will not let chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s forceful efforts to suppress peaceful protests succeed. He alleged that while CMO became a source for all kinds of corruption, AKG centre has become the call centre that offered support to smugglers and drug mafia.
BJP president K Surendran alleged that the government was trying to suppress protests using both police force and DYFI activists. BJP will intensify its protests until Jaleel resigned from the cabinet, he said.