Stir against SilverLine Project gains steam after police crackdown at Madappally

Thiruvananthapuram: The agitation against the proposed semi high-speed rail project, SilverLine, is spreading across Kerala following the police crackdown on protesters at Madappally panchayat in Changanassery on Thursday. Opposition leader V D Satheesan has warned that the “Madappally model” agitation will be organised across the state.

In Kallai in Kozhikode, protests against the project led to a scuffle with the police on Friday. People pulled out survey stones that were laid in property earmarked for the rail corridor. Police took 12 persons into custody in connection with the incident.

Works related to the project could not be carried out in Tirur in Malappuram either. The work is expected to resume on Saturday.

Governor slams police action

Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has slammed Thursday's police action against women who were protesting the laying of survey stones on their property at Madappally.

He said police high-handedness against women was unacceptable.

“Not only women, the police should not act harshly against anyone. The government should not go against the people’s emotions. It is a government elected by the people; hence it should not act indifferently,” he said.

The Governor will hand over to the State government the complaints he has received from people against police excesses. Khan has been receiving a large number of complaints regarding police action against people agitating peacefully.

UDF team in Madappally

A delegation of the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by Opposition leader V D Satheesan, visited Madappally on Friday and met with the people who were beaten up by the police. They spoke to the local residents and gathered information about the police action. He called on the injured in hospitals and vowed to replicate the agitation across Kerala.

Meanwhile, the survey stones that were laid in several properties in Madappally were found uprooted.

Congress leader Veena S Nair has filed a complaint before the State Human Rights Commission against the police action at Madappally.

The police action even figured on the last day of the Budget Session in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Friday, with the Opposition MLAs bringing the legislative proceedings to a halt. UDF legislators registered their strong protest inside the House against the police excesses at Madappally.

Pasha denounces laying of survey stones

Former High Court judge Kemal Pasha said the government had no right to lay survey stones in areas which have not been notified under the rail project. He pointed out that if the government forcibly tried to lay the stones in non-notified areas, then the owners of the property had every right to block such actions and protect their property.

Case against Somy’s mother

Police have registered a case under Juvenile Justice Act against Roseline Philip, the woman who had to be dragged away by personnel from the protest site at Madappally, for bringing her eight-year-old daughter Somy to the protest site.

Photographs of both Roseline and Somy were widely carried out in the media.