Protesters, led by the Thiruvananthapuram archdiocese of the Catholic Church (Latin rites), which spearheads the protest against the Vizhinjam International Seaport project, on Saturday blocked the way of the vehicles laden with construction materials to the project site and clashed with pro-port activists in the area. The protesters had earlier assured the High Court that they would not block the entry of heavy vehicles carrying materials to the project site.
The blockade of the vehicle in the morning led to a tense situation in the area. Further, the protesters and the port supporters pelted stones at each other, resulting in injuries to many. The police tried to intervene, but both groups threw stones at the police as well. Some personnel were injured.
The trouble began by 10 a.m. when around 20 trucks laden with construction materials reached the main entrance of the port at Mullur. The protesters broke the trucks’ windowpanes. Seeing this, the port supporters who were camping in the area intervened, leading to a minor scuffle between the two groups. In the meantime, more protesters from Poovar, Adimalathura, and Vizhinjam reached the venue and tried to storm the makeshift pandal of the port supporters led by a local collective. Flex boards and hoardings erected in the region in support of the port project were vandalised by the protesters.
10 injured
Around 10 people sustained minor injuries in the clashes. The police registered eight cases in connection with the violence. Vizhinjam police said more cases would be registered against the miscreants and they were collecting details.
Meanwhile, sources close to the Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt. Ltd. (AVPL), which develops the port, said they resumed the port works following the assurances given by the protesters to the High Court and the State government. “Against the backdrop of the new protest, we decided to stop the work and let the court take a call on this matter,” said AVPL sources. The protesters have been blocking the construction of the port alleging that the work has aggravated the coastal erosion along the shoreline of Thiruvananthapuram.
