The Kerala High Court on Thursday asked the State government to respond to a writ petition seeking to ban public conferences, marches, mass drills and motorcycle rallies as part of ‘Jana Maha Sammelanam’ proposed to be conducted by the Popular Front of India (PFI) on May 21 in Alappuzha.
Justice N. Nagaresh passed the order on a writ petition filed by R. Ramaraja Varma, former professor SD College, Alappuzha. According to the petitioner, a tense situation prevails in the district following the recent killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers allegedly by the workers of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). Though the district remained volatile, the State police had not taken any effective steps to prevent violent incidents.
Communal clashes
He pointed out that the PFI Kerala State committee had announced ‘Jana Maha Sammelanam’ in Alappuzha on May 21. A march by the PFI workers, in their uniform, was also scheduled on the day. The Bajrangdal, the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, had also said that a motorcycle rally would be taken out at Mannanchery on the day. Unless the programmes scheduled by the PFI and the Bajrangdal were prevented, there was every chance of communal clashes taking place in Alappuzha.
