Continuing protests by youth and student organisations affiliated to the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding resignation of Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel led to clashes with the police in front of District Collectorates in the northern districts on Tuesday.
Police arrest Yuva Morcha activists at Swaraj Round in Thrissur.
As the protests turned violent, the police used force to disperse the protesters, leaving several of them injured. The police personnel caned the protesters and used water cannons to break the protests.
In Kozhikode
The protest march taken out by the activists of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) to the Collectorate in Kozhikode turned violent with the protesters clashing with the police in the morning. The riot police confronted the protesters with water cannons and followed it up with a lathi charge when the agitators attempted to break the barricade and barge into the Collectorate.
The police resorted to lathi charge when the protesters refused to disperse after employing water cannons and picketed the Kozhikode-Wayanad road. About 15 activists, including KSU district president V.T. Nihal, were injured in the lathi charge.
Police using water cannon to disperse Yuva Morcha workers who took out a march to Industries Minister E.P.Jayarajan’s home at Pappinisseri in Kannur.
In Kannur
Kannur turned a battleground as various political wings of the Congress and the BJP clashed with the police while staging a protest march demanding the resignation of Ministers K.T. Jaleel and E.P. Jayarajan. The police used water cannons and batons to disperse the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) protesters led by their leader Sandeep Warrier, when they staged a protest march towards the house of Mr. Jayarajan at Pappinesseri.
The situation turned tense when the police vehicle carrying arrested BJYM protesters came under attack allegedly by the CPI(M) and DYFI activists. They pelted stones on the vehicle, assaulted protesters and also damaged about 10 vehicles of the protesters. At least 10 protesters were injured in the incident and they have been admitted to various hospitals.
The police also lathi-charged and used water cannons against Youth Congress workers, who staged a protest march to the Collectorate in Kannur. KSU district president Mohammed Shamas, secretaries Anzil Vazhappil and Harikrishna Pallad and others were injured in the incident.
In Wayanad
In Kalpetta, separate protest marches taken out under the aegis of the KSU and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) to the District Collectorate took a violent turn. The police caned the protesters to disperse them, when the KSU activists tried to break the barricade erected across the Collectorate. The police arrested MSF State vice president P. Shyjal and district secretary P. Ramees. Later, the protesters staged a sit-in protest on the Kozhikode-Kollegal National Highway 766. Seven activists, including three KSU activists, were injured in the incident.
Yuva Morcha workers staging a protest in front of the civil station in Palakkad.
In Palakkad and Malappuram
The protest march taken out by the BJYM to the Palakkad Collectorate also ended in a clash with the police. The police resorted to lathi charge when the BJYM protesters tried to break the barricade. About two dozen protesters were injured in the clash. The BJYM activists blocked the road for about an hour.
Youth Congress activists too blocked the road near the municipal bus-stand in Palakkad in protest against the police attack on Shafi Parambil, MLA, in Thiruvananthapuram.
KSU activists stage a protest in Malappuram.
In Malappuram too, Mahila Morcha and KSU activists took out marches to the Collectorate, raising the resignation demand.
