Kerala: KSU-led protest turns violent in Thiruvananthapuram; police resort to lathi charge
The Kerala Students' Union (KSU) led a protest march to the DGP office in Thiruvananthapuram. Mathew Kuzhalnadan and KSU State President Aloysius Xavier sustained injuries during the conflict.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Students' Union (KSU) led a protest march to the DGP office in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. However, the protest turned violent and police resorted to lathi charges and water canons to disperse the crowd. The activists tried to cross the barricade and smashed the flex boards of Nava Kerala Sadas.
During a conflict, activists threw chili powder at the police, resulting in arrests of those involved. MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan inaugurated the march, alleging the Chief Minister's involvement with a quotation group. Mathew Kuzhalnadan and KSU State President Aloshious Xavier sustained injuries during the conflict. Female activists were also subjected to police lathi charges. In a controversial incident, a channel cameraman was lathi-charged, with the police asserting it happened unknowingly, alleging the cameraman encroached despite claiming to be press.
The injured activists were taken to the hospital in an ambulance. The KSU activists alleged that the police started a lathi charge without any provocation. The activists accused the police of acting like goons during a march that commenced from the KPCC office. Kuzhalnadan challenged CPM-affiliated policemen to shed their uniforms and questioned the Chief Minister's ability to move without an escort. He also challenged Minister Mohammed Riyas's courage to be alone. The march protested police brutality against Youth Congress, Congress, and KSU workers during the Navakerala Sadas protest.
The protest marches in Kerala on Wednesday, spearheaded by the Congress, became violent in many locations. The protesters attempted to breach police barricades in Mukkam, Kozhikode, and Kochi and clashed directly with the police. Protest marches are being carried out at 564 police stations across the state. The protests were called in response to reports of violence against activists from the KSU and Youth Congress in the name of the Nava Kerala Sadas.
