India News | Police Action Against SilverLine Protesters: UDF Boycotts Kerala Assembly
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Thiruvananthapuram/ Local residents comprising women on Thursday disrupted the laying of survey stones in the land identified for the Left government's ambitious K-Rail project in a village near Kottayam, prompting the police to use force to remove them.
Thiruvananthapuram/Kottayam, Mar 17 (PTI) Local residents comprising women on Thursday disrupted the laying of survey stones in the land identified for the Left government's ambitious K-Rail project in a village near Kottayam, prompting the police to use force to remove them.
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As tension prevailed at Madappally village in Changanassery, Congress-led UDF targeted the government in Thiruvananthapuram by boycotting the state Assembly. It alleged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, "who has declared that the project will be implemented at any cost, was affected with political blindness and arrogance of power."
After boycotting the Assembly proceedings, the UDF MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, staged a sit-in at its portal and raised slogans against the government alleging police high-handedness against common people especially women during the agitation.
Hitting back at the Opposition, the Chief Minister accused the Congress-led alliance of provoking common people and unleashing violence to end the differences within the UDF over the K-Rail project. Vijayan said the Opposition was upset as all the activities related to the K-Rail had been going on smoothly.
"This has prompted the opposition to create provocation through all possible ways", Vijayan alleged and urged the Opposition to withdraw from the violent protest.
Claiming that there were differences within the UDF over the K-Rail project, he said the Congress-led alliance was trying to sort it out through the means of violence. "You should end this wrong style as it is harmful for the state", he said.
It all started when the officials reached Madappally village to lay stones as part of the land acquisition for the multi-crore initiative. Soon the locals gathered in the area and their protest turned violent. A large number of people including women raised "go back" slogans against the officials.
The police removed the protesters by force, triggering tension in the area for hours.
They alleged the protesting women were dragged on the road and their children were horrified watching the "violent action" by the police. Several people were injured in the police action, they claimed.
Police said they intervened after some protesters, carrying cans of kerosene, threatened to self-immolate. The protesters were removed using force.
A large number of people, led by local leaders of the UDF and BJP, also gathered at the police station seeking to release the people taken into custody.
The 'samarasamithi, the forum which coordinates protests against the project, gave a call for a dawn-to-dusk 'hartal' in Changanassery, a municipal town in Kottayam, on Friday over the issue. The Congress and the BJP have backed the agitation.
Coming down heavily on the LDF government over the issue, UDF leaders said in Thiruvananthapuram that the state has been witnessing intense public protests from north to south against the project and as a responsible opposition they would extend all support to the anxious commoners.
Addressing reporters outside the House, Satheesan said, "Not just in Kottayam, but in the entire state, cutting across villages, towns and cities, people are coming out and protesting against the Silver Line project. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is affected by political blindness and arrogance of power," he said.
Terming the incident as "most unfortunate", former CM Oommen Chandy urged the Vijayan government to backtrack from the project as it does not have the Centre's nod.
"The central government has already made it clear that they have not accorded any sanction for the project. Then why is the state government going ahead with it," he asked.
Changanassery and several other places witnessed protests by locals against the installation of Silver Line survey stones.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)