: Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) clashed with the police during a march taken out to the Assembly on Friday in protest against the alleged commercialisation of the higher education sector in the State.
Around 300 activists, including women, participated in the demonstration, which was blocked by the police near the main gate of the Assembly.
The police used water cannons to prevent the protesters from breaching the barricade. However, the Yuva Morcha activists made attempts to regroup and secure their way through the security personnel following which the police resorted to lathicharge, forcing the activists to retreat.
‘Unfulfilled promise’
Later, former BJP State president V. Muraleedharan inaugurated a protest meet. In his address, he accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of going back on its promise of a transparent admission process to private self-financing medical and dental colleges.
“While the admissions are all set to conclude on Friday, over 1,500 complaints that have been submitted to the James Committee remained unsettled. The government has followed the same path that had been undertaken by the previous dispensation led by the United Democratic Front (UDF). In a bid to mislead the public, the government has sought to create an impression that it strived for the benefit of the common populace. However, such gimmicks were all part of the pre-planned script,” Mr. Muraleedharan alleged.
He also accused the UDF of siding with the LDF to ensure that the ongoing admission went on as planned. “By striving to divert public attention towards the fee hike, the UDF has neglected the plight of several eligible candidates who were denied merit seats owing to their inability to pay capitation fees that have been decided by the private medical colleges” he said.
BJP district president S. Suresh, State secretary C. Sivankutty, Yuva Morcha State president K.T. Prakash Babu and secretary R.S. Rajeev were present.
UDF demonstation
Earlier, a demonstration was taken out under the aegis of the UDF along the same route to express solidarity for the legislators who were on a hunger-fast against the fee hike for medical seats. District Congress Committee president Karakulam Krishna Pillai was among those who were present.
The city traffic police commenced the regulation of vehicles along the MG Road by 10.45 a.m. when the protests began. Vehicular flow along the road towards PMG junction remain blocked for over two hours.
