Black flag protests against Pinarayi in Kannur; water cannons, lathi-charge used to disperse agitators
The police are planning to completely block traffic in pocket roads when the CM is passing through a particular area.
The police are planning to completely block traffic in pocket roads when the CM is passing through a particular area.
The police are planning to completely block traffic in pocket roads when the CM is passing through a particular area.
Kannur: The Youth Congress, Yuva Morcha, Mahila Morcha and Youth League workers clashed with police on Monday while protesting against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kannur district.
The police used water cannons to disperse the black flag protest march in front of the Kannur guest house where the CM was staying.
A KSU activist was taken away by the police for waving a black flag at the CM's convoy while entering the Contonement Road from the Guest House. A CPM worker also attacked the KSU worker.
Yuva Morcha and Mahila Morcha activists who were protesting with black flags in Thalappu were taken into custody by the police.
There was an altercation between the police, and Youth Congress and Youth League workers near the venue of the CM's event in Taliparamba. The cops lathi-charged at the protestors to disperse them.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been targetted by the opposition ever since gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh levelled some serious allegations against him. In response, the police have thrown a tight security blanket around him with public attending his functions coming under severe scrutiny. At Monday's event at Taliparamba in Kannur district the elaborate security cover and the much-criticised ban on black mask will remain.
The police have even issued notice to the people's representatives like District Panchayat members from Opposition parties to not attend the function to be graced by the CM.
The CM is set to inaugurate International Leadership Studies Centre and lay the foundation stone for the Institute of Public Policy and Leadership at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) campus at the Extension Training Centre (ETC) situated on the Taliparamba-Sreekandapuram State Highway.
Almost the entire force in the Kannur City and Rural Police limits will be deployed for the CM's security. North Zone DIG Rahul R Nair will be in charge of the overall security. Apart from the DIG, the City Police Commissioner, the Rural SP, five Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySP), 15 Inspectors and 45 Sub-Inspectors will be supervising the security arrangements.
The police force is planning to completely block traffic in pocket roads when the CM is passing through a particular area.
The police's move is to close down traffic in Taliparamba from 9 am to 12 pm. The police have made it clear that it won't allow anyone to wear a black mask at the function to be attended by the CM.
Triggering a political storm in the state, Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the sensational gold smuggling case, claimed that she disclosed before the court -- in her statement under Section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code -- the other people allegedly involved in the smuggling cases and their "degrees of involvement."
She said she had given statements against the CM, his family, former Kerala Minister K T Jaleel and some other top bureaucrats.
Suresh, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with another accused Sandeep Nair from Bengaluru on July 11, 2020.
The NIA, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Customs conducted separate probes into the racket that was busted with the seizure of gold worth Rs 15 crore from the diplomatic baggage of the UAE Consulate at Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5, 2020.
Several people, including M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and another ex-employee of the UAE Consulate here, Sarith, were arrested in connection with the case.