Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 16 A BJP-Yuva Morcha march to the Keralam Assembly over alleged irregularities in the PSC and seeking the resignation of LoP Pinarayi Vijayan turned violent on Friday, prompting police to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, officials said.
The BJP and Yuva Morcha organised the march over alleged irregularities in the Keralam Public Service Commission, including delays in recruitment to government jobs.
They demanded Vijayan’s resignation following the registration of cases by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) against him and his family in connection with alleged payments from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) when he was the CM.
More than 200 BJP and Yuva Morcha workers, including women, marched towards the Assembly, where police had erected barricades to prevent them from proceeding further.
When some protesters attempted to remove the barricades and climb over them, police initially fired multiple rounds from water cannons, officials said.
As the protesters continued their agitation, police warned them that tear gas would be used to disperse the crowd.
When they refused to leave, police fired two rounds of tear gas, officials said.
BJP leaders alleged that the tear gas was used without provocation and claimed that several party workers and a journalist covering the protest were injured.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.
In a statement, Yuva Morcha alleged that police fired tear gas shells without warning, seriously injuring its state secretary Adeena Bharathi.
She was hospitalised and given emergency treatment after a shell exploded, tearing flesh from one of her fingers, the organisation said.
Yuva Morcha Thiruvananthapuram South district president Choondikkal Hari also sustained a ligament injury in his leg, it said.
Several women workers collapsed following the explosion of the shells, while around 30 Yuva Morcha workers sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at various hospitals, the organisation claimed.
BJP state general secretary S Suresh, state vice-president P Sudheer and Yuva Morcha state president V Manu Prasad visited the injured workers at hospitals, the statement said.
Yuva Morcha has called for statewide protests on Friday and Saturday against the police action.
The organisation said BJP and Yuva Morcha workers would hold demonstrations at district, constituency and panchayat centres, accusing the UDF government of police excesses and demanding Vijayan’s resignation.
(PTI News)
