A tense situation prevailed in Kottayam town on Saturday evening when a protest march taken out by Congress workers turned violent. Several persons and policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.SP), sustained injuries in the melee. The march was taken out in protest against the ‘manhandling’ of the Youth Congress workers by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists in Kottayam the other day.
Events began to unfold when Congress workers led by senior leaders Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, MLA, and K.C. Joseph took out a march from Gandhi Square around 5.30 p.m. They were blocked by the police in front of the District Collectorate. A Dy.Sp, identified as J. Santosh Kumar, sustained a head injury when protesters attempted to breach the barricade. Soon, the police deployed water cannons to disperse the agitators who were hurling stones.
Cases registered
Agitated by the police action, the protesters marched towards the Kottayam East police station and once again began throwing stones at the police. The police soon swung into cane charging and fired teargas shells. The police action lasted about an hour, resulting in injuries to at least 10 persons, including three police officers. The injured persons were admitted to the District General Hospital and cases were registered for unlawful assembly and rioting.
Meanwhile, traffic on all major roads in the town here faced disruptions for the second consecutive day owing to the protests. Passengers had a tough time negotiating the traffic to reach their destinations.
Protest against Minister
Earlier in the day, Youth Congress activists weaved black flags at Health Minister Veena George following reports that one of staff members had been involved in the attack on the office of Rahul Gandhi, MP, in Wayanad. The incident occurred in the evening when the Minister was coming out of her residence at Angadikkal, near Kodumon.
Youth Congress activists led by its district president M.G. Kannan jumped in front of the Minister’s vehicle and waved black flags. The protesters were soon whisked away by the police.
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