S Valarmathi, leader of the protesting LPST rank holders, resumed her indefinite hunger strike in front of the Secretariat on Thursday after being discharged from hospital. Police had forcibly removed her from the protest site last night.

Valarmathi returned to the site around 11 am. She is leading the protest to demand that the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) make appointments to government schools from the Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) rank list before it expires.

On Wednesday night, police dismantled the protesters’ tent, took Valarmathi into custody and admitted her to hospital. The action followed notices from the Cantonment police asking the protesters to remove the temporary structure, citing a High Court order.

The rank holders are demanding appointment orders for all eligible candidates on the LPST list before it expires, the transfer of recruitment to aided-school teaching posts to the PSC, an end to alleged cash-for-job practices, and a teacher-student ratio of 1:25.

Valarmathi said the government could not suppress the protest by force and alleged that it was unwilling to fulfil even demands that did not involve a financial burden. “Even if they try to suppress us, it will not make any difference. The government is unable to fulfil even the demand we have raised, which does not involve any financial burden. This protest is against the government’s practice of making promises and deceiving us,” she told the media.

She urged the government to take an immediate decision on the rank holders’ concerns and said the agitation would continue despite her deteriorating health. “The government is the one that should be concerned about our health condition. An urgent decision should be taken on our demands. We will certainly continue the protest. We are not changing our stand because of our health condition,” she said.

Valarmathi alleged that she was taken from the protest site around 9.30 pm on Wednesday despite being conscious and was kept in hospital without treatment until 7.30 am on Thursday.

She said her blood pressure and sugar levels were found to be normal when they were checked at the hospital, but she was subsequently shifted to the intensive care unit. “I was neither unable to speak nor lying unconscious. I was speaking with full awareness. There was a deliberate attempt to keep me there, but that will not succeed. We will continue the agitation,” she said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala defended the police action, saying the temporary shelter was removed following court directions and to avoid contempt of court proceedings against police officials.

“It was because of the numerous contempt of court cases in Keralam that the police removed the structure. When I came to know about it, I immediately told them there was no need for such action and that those who wanted to protest should be allowed to do so,” he told the media.

Chennithala also said the government had accepted four of the five demands raised by the rank holders, but the remaining demand could not be accepted because it was impractical.
“Of the five demands, the government accepted four. There was no way to accept the fifth demand, as it was impractical. Can anyone end a protest only after all the demands are accepted? The protesters have to come forward to end the agitation and cooperate with the government,” he said.