Ban orders in Thiruvananthapuram as CPM, BJP clash

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM and BJP men went on the rampage in the city and outskirts to settle scores with each other and left a trail of   destruction on Thursday night and in the wee hours of Friday. Around 12 premises, including BJP state committee office at Kunnukuzhy, were attacked. The houses and vehicles of several CPM and BJP councillors were vandalised causing  damage  worth several lakhs of rupees. The residence of Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishan near Maruthankuzhy,  was the last to be attacked. Trouble  was  already brewing  between the rival party activists  over the arrest of Kovalam MLA M. Vincent.

In another incident, SFI, the left student organisation,  had tried to storm  the ABVP bastion of MG college. The situation exploded after news spread in the city about the attack on a CPM leader’s house at Kattakada. The police arrested around 11 activists of both parties following the violence. They  include  corporation councillor I.P. Binu and his aides who attacked the BJP office and vandalised six vehicles before roughing up a policeman. Two civil police officers were suspended by Range IG Manoj Abraham for failing to act during the attack on the BJP office   where state president Kummanam Rajasekharan was present. District collector S. Venkatesapathy has clamped three days’ prohibitory orders in the city under section 81 (1) of Kerala Police Act.

Processions, demonstrations, public meetings and sloganeering are banned in city limits until Sunday midnight.  Ban orders were already in force in several rural police station limits due to the unrest earlier this week. The attacks in the city limits began at 9 p.m. when ABVP leader Suraj’s residence was vandalised in Fort area. Following this, the houses of CPM Chalai area secretary S.A. Sundar and DYFI area president Unni were  attacked. Thereafter, the houses of BJP councillors R.C. Beena, Simi Jyothish and S.K.P. Ramesh and CPM councillors Rasiya Begum, S. Pushpaletha and  I.P. Binu  came under attack.  In a retaliation, Binu  and SFI and  DYFI leaders attacked the BJP office. Petrol bombs were thrown at the house of CPM district leader Karamana Hari.