The police on Tuesday forcefully shifted Anil Akkara, MLA, who had been on a hunger strike for the last seven days in protest against the government’s decision to suspend the management committee of the Adatt Farmers Cooperative Bank, to the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital.
However, the MLA refused to end his hunger strike alleging that the committee had not even received a copy of suspension order from the Joint Registrar yet.
Later, the MLA ended the strike after the Thrissur tahsildar handed over the order suspending the management committee of the Adattu Farmers Cooperative Bank.
He said the government’s decision surpassed the court directive that it should be informed before taking any decision on the Adattu cooperative bank. The management committee will move to court against the government decision.
Meanwhile, the High Court has accepted a petition of the Adattu Farmers Cooperative Bank management committee challenging the government order.
A team of doctors, led by District Medical Officer Baby Lakshmi, had been monitoring the MLA’s health since Monday as his health condition had deteriorated with low sugar and sodium levels. The medical team advised to shift him to hospital as his blood pressure too showed fluctuations. On the directive of the District Collector, a police team arrested the MLA and forcibly shifted him to hospital.
Order to suspend
Mr. Akkara began his hunger strike soon after the government decision on suspending the Adattu bank came seven days ago. Though many senior Congress leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, urged him to end the hunger strike, he refused to budge from his decision. KPCC president M.M. Hassan had called on Mr. Akkara before he was shifted to hospital.
Congress Working Committee member A.K. Antony had earlier called on the MLA and urged him to end the strike. But he refused to end the agitation without the government withdrawing the anti-constitutional decision to suspend the management committee.
“My agitation is not to attack the Pinarayi government. The struggle is against the attempt to destroy a farmers’ bank,” he said.
