The members of Kerala Youth Congress took out a march towards Cliff House Thiruvananthapuram, the official residence of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Wednesday against the police atrocities on protesters who were calling out tax hikes in the state budget.
The police used water cannon and tear gas during the clash to disperse the crowd. One policeman was injured in the incident.
The ‘black march’ by the Thiruvananthapuram District Committee of Youth Congress saw workers dressed in black, raising slogans against police’s highhandedness on the protesters.
On Tuesday, six youth Congress members and four police officers were injured when Kerala Student Union (KSU)-Youth Congress workers took out a march at Kalamessary police station in Ernakulam district against the police atrocities on protesters who were criticising the proposed hike in the state budget.
The protest was also against the action by a male police officer against a Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) woman activist while she tried to wave a black flag against the CM.
Kerala finance minister KN Balagopal presented the state budget on February 3. A Rs 2 social security cess on a litre of petrol and diesel was proposed in the state budget.
Since then, there has been protests inside and outside the Kerala legislative assembly. Opposition leader VD Satheesan had said it was “tax terrorism” by the state government. MLAs even staged a Satyagraha on the doorstep of the state legislative assembly.
Youth Congress and KSU workers were protesting across the state by showing black flags to the CM wherever he was travelling in the state. The security of the CM while he was travelling was widely criticised. Congress and UDF has said they will continue their protests.
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