BJP, Youth Congress workers clash in Keralam’s Balaramapuram over black-flag protest against Minister
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Tension prevailed in Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Youth Congress workers clashed with each other, shortly after the former staged a black-flag protest against Sports and Youth Affairs Minister O.J. Janeesh on Tuesday.
The confrontation occurred after the BJP and the Yuva Morcha workers obstructed the Minister’s convoy near Aralumoodu while he was on his way to attend a public programme. The Minister’s official vehicle was reportedly escorted by five police vehicles when the incident took place.
While the protesters were removed from the area, the situation escalated when the BJP workers staged another protest close to the venue nearby. Youth Congress workers also reached the area, leading to a confrontation between the two groups.
The police intervened and used force, including a lathi charge, to disperse the protesters and bring the situation under control.
BJP Thiruvananthapuram south district president Mukkampalamoodu Biju was among those injured in the clashes. He reportedly sustained an injury to his hand and was admitted to a private hospital in Neyyattinkara. Two Youth Congress workers also suffered injuries and sought medical treatment.
The BJP workers alleged that the Congress workers deliberately provoked violence and attempted to attack their district leader. They also alleged that the police failed to prevent the confrontation and accused the authorities of assisting the protesters.
The Youth Congress leaders, however, rejected the allegations and claimed that BJP and the Yuva Morcha workers had obstructed the Minister.
The clashes come amid a series of black-flag protests by the BJP workers against Ministers and Congress leaders in different parts of the State against the backdrop of a similar protest by Youth Congress workers during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to Kollam. The Yuva Morcha subsequently called for similar protests against the State Ministers.
Party State general secretary S. Suresh said the BJP would intensify its agitation until those responsible for the agitation against the Union Home Minister are brought to book.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
