Thrissur: The Kerala Police cut a sorry figure in Thrissur on Tuesday as it turned up with an empty water cannon to confront Youth Congress activists protesting the arrest of their state president Rahul Mamkootathil.
The unusual event took place on the M O Road, which the police had barricaded to stop the Youth Congress march that began at the DCC Office. Youth Congress vice president O J Jenish, who has to appear in a court in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, was among the protesters.
Soon after the charging protesters pushed down the barricades, the police put the water cannon to work. But in about 30 seconds the sprayer stopped working, and it emerged that the tank was empty.
As the force that attempted to disburse them was rendered useless, the protests tapered off. Youth Congress general secretary Abhilash Prabhakar took a bottle of water to the driver of the police truck and he accepted it.
Slap on face of CM's effigy
The Youth Congress activists burned an effigy of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Midhun Mohan, state general secretary of Youth Congress, slapped an image of the chief minister, clipped onto the effigy, with a chappal.
