Thiruvananthapuram: Several workers of Kerala Students Union (KSU) were injured after police resorted to lathi-charge against the protest march to the DGP office here on Thursday. According to reports, clashes erupted between the police and the KSU activists after one of the protesters threw chilli powder at police.
KPCC general secretary Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA, who had been present since the beginning of the march, attempted to intervene and was allegedly beaten up by the police.
Talking to the media, Kuzhalnadan criticised police for brutally assaulting the students without any provocation. He said that the Congress party would continue to protest.
KSU is the student outfit of the opposition Congress in Kerala.
The protest organised in the state capital aimed to condemn the alleged attacks on KSU and Youth Congress activists by members of the ruling CPM, its youth outfit Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Chief Minister's gunman. The Youth Congress had marched to the Secretariat on Wednesday to protest their alleged manhandling.
According to police sources,15 student activists, including three with injuries requiring hospitalisation, were arrested in connection with the incident.
The police had set up barricades to prevent the students from reaching the DGP's office, leading to a standoff. Despite water cannons being used initially to disperse the crowd, the chilli-throwing incident escalated tensions.
In response, the police charged the students, which resulted in injuries to many.
After the clash, members of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) took to the streets, alleging that a KSU activist had slapped a union member. They demanded police action and threatened to go on strike if the alleged perpetrator was not arrested.
(With PTI inputs)
