Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan has condemned the violent clash between Youth Congress and Students' Federation of India (SFI) activists in Thiruvananthapuram and warned that strong legal action would be taken against anyone who tries to disrupt law and order in the state. A day earlier, there was a violent clash in Palayam city of the state capital between Youth Congress, KSU, SFI and DYFI activists.
The clash erupted on Wednesday evening after a KSU and Youth Congress protest march against the Union government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar reached the area near the Kerala University hostel. Police intervened as the violence increased, with stone throwing, throwing of fire torches and a lathi charge.
Satheesan Condemns Violence
In a statement, Satheesan strongly condemned the violence and said the government would not permit attempts to create a law-and-order crisis. He said the violence was a deliberate act and accused SFI activists of provoking Youth Congress protesters.
Satheesan claimed that stones and beer bottles were thrown at Youth Congress workers from the direction of the hostel. These accounts are part of the competing accounts surrounding the clash and are subject to police investigation.
The Chief Minister also questioned the CPI(M)'s response to Congress-led protests against BJP and the Union government. He alleged that the incident was carried out with the knowledge of CPI(M) leadership. These are political allegations made by Satheesan and have not been independently established.
What happened at the Clash?
The violence occurred when a Youth Congress and KSU march reached the vicinity of the Kerala University hostel. Protesters said stones were thrown from inside the hostel towards the march. SFI and DYFI activists, however, claim that protesters threw burning torches towards hostel inmates.
As the exchange continued, it spread beyond the vicinity of the hostel. Police tried to control the situation and finally entered the hostel premises and used a lathi charge. Some activists and police personnel were injured during the encounter, the source said.
The competing versions of events have become a major part of the political dispute following the incident. Police investigations and the cases registered after the violence are expected to help establish the sequence of events and responsibility for specific acts.
Two Cases Registered
Police have registered two separate cases following the clash. Cases have been registered against 80 KSU-Youth Congress activists and 80 SFI-DYFI activists, taking the number of people booked in the two cases to 160.
Police have indicated that those named in the cases would be summoned and that arrests could follow depending on the investigation and applicable charges.
The police action occurred immediately after the encounter at the university hostel turned violent. Safety in the university area and the possibility of further protests were also concerns, as well.
SFI Announces Statewide Protest
Following the clash and police action, the SFI announced statewide protests at educational institutions in Kerala on Thursday. The organisation called for protests over what it described as violence against its members and police action inside the university hostel.
The planned protests are just one more layer of the political tension in Thiruvananthapuram, where rival student and youth organisations have been involved in demonstrations and confrontations in the past.
The Youth Congress march itself was organized in view of political issues between the Union government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters were demanding changes in the electoral mechanism and demanding action against the Chief Election Commissioner.
CM Warns against further Violence.
Satheesan said the government would take strong legal action against anybody who attempts to incite a riot-like situation or disturb the peaceful lives of people in Kerala. There is increasing political unrest in the state capital and people are scared of the violence that is brewing in it.
He also claimed that recent incidents of BJP and youth-wing activists were part of a wider pattern of attempts to disturb the state’s peaceful atmosphere. Those claims are also part of the political debate and have not been treated as established findings in the police investigation into the Palayam clash.
The Chief Minister's words to this effect show the government will be focused on law and order in order to put a hold on political organisations involved in the protests taking place in Thiruvananthapuram.
Political Tensions Continue
The clash has intensified an already heated political atmosphere in Kerala. Youth Congress and KSU activists have claimed stones were thrown at their march from the university hostel. On the other hand, SFI and DYFI activists have claimed that protesters threw flaming torches towards hostel residents.
Investigators will now look at the evidence, witness accounts, etc. in separate cases against members of both sides to determine individual responsibility for the violence.
The SFI’s statewide protest call could lead to further demonstrations at educational institutions, and the government has warned against any activity that threatens public order. The police investigation and the cases reported after the clash are now part of the focus; however, the government is trying to prevent further violence from happening in Thiruvananthapuram.
