Eight police personnel and seven Students Federation of India activists were injured when a march taken out by the federation to the Mini Civil Station here took a violent turn on Tuesday forenoon.
The SFI march was in protest of Monday’s police action against the federation workers in Thodupuzha. The march was led by R.Manu, SFI State vice-president; Benjamin Jose, district president, and Prakashbabu, secretary.
The police formed a strong cordon before the Mini Civil Station that houses courts and various other district offices to prevent the protesters from entering the office premises.
The situation turned tense when the agitated SFI workers tried to break the police cordon. The police blocked the march and the irate federation workers started pelting stones at the police. A push and pull between the protesters and the police leading lathicharge was followed.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police, P.Reghuvaran Nair, who tried to avert a clash too was injured in the melee.
R.Manu, Prakashbabu, Benjamin Jose Jacob, district president; Prakashbabu, secretary; B.Nizam, T.Suresh, Mohamed Anaz, Sonu, and Tinu Raj, all SFI leaders, were among those who have been arrested. All the injured have been admitted to Pathanamthitta General Hospital.
The police personnel injured in the incident have been identified as Reghuvaran Nair, DySP; Zacharia Mathew, Kozhencherry, Circle Inspector of Police; Gopinatha Pillai, Pampa Sub Inspector; Beena Beegum, woman SI, Muralidas, SI attached to Armed Reerve Camp; Rakesh, and Deepak, civil police officers. Deepak and Rakesh have been admitted to Pathanamthitta General Hospital, later.
DYFI, YC(I) marches
The situation in the town took a tense turn once again when the Democratic Youth Federation of India workers and Yuouth Congress(I) workers stagerd separate protest marches, later, in the afternoon.
The YC(I) march was protesting against the destruction of its poster in the town by the SFI workers and the DYFI march was in protest of the police action against the SFI march in the forenoon.
The YC(I) workers camping at the Gandhi Square in the town hurled stones at the DYFI march advancing towards the central junction. The police chased away the DYFI workers and took 12 of them, including its district president, P.R.Pradeep, into custody.
The Left Democratic Front workers led by the CPI(M) district secretary, K.Ananthagopan, laid siege to the police station, demanding release of the DYFI activists, later. P.J.Ajyakumar, CITU district
president, and N.Sajikumar, CPI(M) district committee member, also spoke. All the 12 DYFI workers were released, later.
Education bandh
Meanwhile, in a statement issued here on Tuesday evening, the SFI district unit has called for an `Education bandh’ in the district on Wednesday, protesting against Tuesday’s police action.
