Chaos descended on the capital for the second consecutive day on Thursday with the Opposition Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists clashing with the police on the street.
The melee resulted in injuries on both sides. It caused traffic snarls across the city, with the police diverting traffic from the conflict zone.
The violence unfolded when KSU workers marched to the State Police Headquarters demanding that action be taken against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s personal security officers for allegedly assaulting the students’ unions’ activists in Alappuzha last week.
The students attempted to pull down the barricades, blocking the road to the police headquarters. The police responded by discharging the truck-mounted water cannon several times. The pressurised jets of water felled several students. However, the police failed to disburse the protesters.
The police baton charged the students after some officers accused the activists of throwing chilli powder into the eyes of the baton and shield-wielding law enforcers in full riot gear.
Later, Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA, who inaugurated the KSU protest march, accused the police of deliberately targeting women activists with water cannons. He claimed he sustained a blow on his arm when he attempted to prevent the police from beating fallen KSU activists.
The police summoned an ambulance and shifted several injured KSU workers, including women, to the General Hospital.
Some Centre of Indian Trade Unions workers at the spot accused the KSU activists of attacking them during the protest march.
The Chief Minister had drawn Opposition flak for defending his security officials, who baton-charged KSU activists for flaunting black flags at the motorcade ferrying the Cabinet to a Navakerala Sadas venue in the Ambalappuzha constituency. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan had accused the squad of acting extra-judicially by unleashing wanton violence against KSU workers detained at the spot by the local police. He demanded that the police book them for assault.
The CM’s security squad’s action against the KSU workers changed the tone and tenor of the Opposition protests against the government. Congress leaders adopted a belligerent tone and said the party would resist violence against their colleagues.
On Wednesday, the police and the Youth Congress workers skirmished on the road in front of the Secretariat, throwing life in the capital out of gear for the better part of the day. The violence resulted in damage to police gear and vehicles.
At a press conference in Attingal on Thursday, Mr. Vijayan had blamed Mr. Satheesan for Wednesday’s violence.
Satheesan booked
In a related development, the Cantonment police booked Mr. Satheesan as the first accused. The police charges against the Leader of the Opposition included destruction of public property, unlawful assembly and rioting.
