It was a day of high drama at the city Corporation on Tuesday as the councillors of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) broke out into scuffles following a protest-marred council meeting.
Timely intervention of the police, who were subjected to shoving from both sides, saved the situation from getting out of hand. Four councillors, two from each side, were admitted to the General Hospital after they complained of uneasiness.
As soon as the council proceedings started in the afternoon, the six Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protesters rose up in protest, accusing the UDF of conducting an ‘adjustment strike,’ against the lack of street lights in the city, in collusion with the ruling party. The items of the agenda were passed in no time and Mayor K. Chandrika declared the meeting over as the BJP councillors walked out to stage a protest outside.
The UDF councillors continued to demand that the issue surrounding the housing project in coastal areas, raised in an adjournment motion, be discussed.
They followed the Mayor to her room and asked for the council to be reconvened. A group of LDF councillors blocked them from entering the room.
This led to pushing and shoving from both sides. More councillors from both sides joined the scuffle and the scene turned tense with the LDF members alleging that Opposition member G.S. Sreekumar manhandled C. Jayan, representing Attukal.
The police soon arrived and created a wall between the ruling and opposition councillors. The LDF members alleged the police of siding with the UDF and of trying to protect them.
They raised slogans demanding the arrest of Mr. Sreekumar. Councillors from both sides tried to break through the police barrier and raised threatening slogans at each other.
The situation was brought under control after the police took away the UDF councillors to the ground floor, to the accompaniment of howls and victory slogans from the LDF side. But the drama was far from over. A 108 ambulance was called in and LDF councillor H. Sukumari was taken away to the General Hospital.
The Opposition members took their councillor Leelamma Isaac to the hospital in a car. Mary Pushpam from the UDF and Vasanthakumari from the LDF were also admitted to the hospital.