Kollam: The police action black-clad public in the vicinity of Kerala Chief Minister's entourage continues with vigour. On Friday, two young men from Alappuzha district who had reached Kollam town landed in police custody for about 8 hours as they were wearing black on the day the CM was in the town.
Faizal (18) and Ambadi (19) from Aroor in Alappuzha reached Kollam railway station around 10 in the morning. They were en route to Sambranikkodi Thuruthu, an islet at the southern tip of Ashtamudi Lake.
Kollam East Police took the duo into custody when they were loitering before a shop after purchasing a bottle of drinking water.
The police claimed the duo were detained suspecting to be bike thieves as bike theft is rampant in the area. They were spotted leaning on a bike as they exited from the shop.
The CM was to participate in the programmes held at the QAC Maidan near the Railway station and at the Town Hall. As per available information, the detention was a ‘preventive custody’ to avoid the black protest against the CM by the youth organisations of opposition parties. By night, the duo were let to go with their parents who had reached from Aroor.
The duo said they were forced into a police jeep soon after they got out of the railway station saying they were bike thieves and were taken to the police station. Despite showing the return train ticket, the police did not let them go.
The youths said they realised that they were detained for the colour of their shirt only when the cops brought a few more who were wearing black to the station later in the afternoon.
Three were taken into custody in the Iravipuram police station jurisdiction in the name of wearing black dresses.
