The Youth Congress (YC) State president M. Liju was injured when the police fired its water cannon against a small group of YC activists who staged a march to the police headquarters accusing the Government of shielding those “truly guilty” of the murder of businessman Paul Muthoot George.
A direct blast from the water cannon knocked down Liju. The high pressure jet of water from the cannon hit Liju on his lower abdomen. The police took him to the General Hospital in one of its vehicles. Hospital authorities later said that Liju’s injury seemed to be minor one.
The Youth Congress protest disrupted traffic in the city for several hours in the morning. At around 11 a.m, less than 50 YC activists led by Liju marched to the Police Headquarters from the District Congress Committee office at Bakery Junction.
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Apprehending street violence, the police initially diverted public transport buses and Government vehicles from the road taken by the protestors. Subsequently, they closed the arterial Vellayambalam-Vazhuthacaud road to traffic. The blockade triggered traffic jams in the city and vehicular movement slowed to a snail pace.
The police placed barricades in front of the Trivandrum Club to prevent the protestors from reaching the gates of the nearby State Police Headquarters. The activists pulled down few of the barricades and pelted the police with stones. Circle Inspector, Museum, J. K. Dinil, was hit by a stone. The police responded by firing its water cannon. The YC workers regrouped and started displacing the cone like plastic dividers placed by the police on the road for demarcating wide carriage way.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, M. Gopalakrishnan, warned the YC men that he would book them on the charge of destroying public property if the “traffic cones” were damaged.
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The police tailed the marchers till Bakery junction, where the protestors courted arrest peacefully. They were taken to Armed Reserve Camp at Nandavanam.
Assistant Commissioner, Cantonment, K. S. Gopakumar, said the arrested activists will be charged with disrupting traffic and disobeying the directions of the police.
Earlier, Mr. Liju demanded that the Government should seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Paul’s murder. He accused the police of fabricating evidence, in this case a curved dagger, to save those truly responsible for Paul’s death.
He said the wards of certain ministers were hand-in-glove with certain gang leaders in Kerala. The police seemed to be subservient to them, he said. Mr. Liju denied the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) allegation that Goondukadu Shabu, a Barton Hill colony based gang leader in the city, was a Congress worker.
He said Shabu, who was declared a “known rowdy” under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, was a CPM supporter. He said Shabu was arrested in 2007 on the charge of carrying a weapon to a public function attended by Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan. Mr. Liju said the YC will strengthen its agitation against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in the coming days.