Thiruvananthapuram: Various parts of Kerala witnessed violence as Youth Congress activists intensified their protest demanding the resignation of Health Minister Veena George over the death of a woman in the collapse of a building at Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital. In Pathanamthitta, Kannur, Kasaragod, and Palakkad, protesters clashed with the police.

 In Thiruvananthapuram, Youth Congress activists attempted to barge into the official residence of the Health Minister. Police resorted to water cannons to disperse the protesters. Police have tightened security for the official residence of the minister. 

 In Angamaly, police detained some Youth Congress members for waving a black flag at Minister VN Vasavan’s car.

 In Mananthavady, Wayanad, Youth Congress activists staged a protest march to the District Medical Officer’s office. BJP workers also marched to the residence of Veena George in Pathanamthitta, marking their protest over the Kottayam accident. Manorama News reported that police blocked the protesters from barging into the minister’s house. Apart from Youth Congress and BJP, Youth League is also staging protest in several places of the state. 

 Meanwhile, Mahila Congress workers, with their mouths tied shut with black cloth, marched to the Palakkad District Hospital carrying banners and placards demanding George's resignation.

The protesters alleged that the minister was responsible for the death of 52-year-old Bindu and called for a judicial probe into the incident.

Bindu (52) died, and three others — Aleena (11), Amal Pradeep (20), and Jinu Saji (38) — were injured in the incident. Protests were held on Friday across several parts of the state by opposition parties including the Congress, BJP, and their affiliated wings, demanding the minister's resignation.

 While the Congress and BJP termed the death as “tantamount to murder,” State Cooperation Minister VN Vasavan dismissed the allegations as “politically motivated.”

 Later in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government would strengthen all precautionary measures to ensure such “unfortunate and painful” incidents do not recur.

 The toilet complex adjacent to wards 10, 11, and 14 at Kottayam Government Medical College collapsed on Thursday while the hospital was in the process of shifting operations to the newly constructed surgical block. Bindu, from Thalayolaparambu in Kottayam district, was pulled out of the debris more than two hours after the incident and was declared dead.