Kasagod: The BJP protest march against CPM's intolerance came under attack at Cheruvathur on Monday. BJP alleged that CPM workers had assaulted two of its activists with rods and stones, leading to a clash. Chandera police said they had to fire two rounds of tear gas shells to dispel them, Close to 700 BJP workers, led by state vice-president K. P. Sreeshan, general secretary K. Surendran, and RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri, gathered at Cheruvathur to take out the march to Cheemeni.
"As soon as the march started, stones were thrown at us. Yuva Morcha leader Sreejith Parakalai and BJP worker P. Rajesh were hit with iron rods," said BJP district president K. Srikanth. After the attack, another 300 BJP workers joined the march to Cheemeni. Police from Chandera, Kanhangad, and Nileshwaram were called in to ensure peaceful protest meet at Cheemeni. On December 21, a BJP meeting with around 50 participants on demonetisation was attacked in Cheemeni, injuring Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe Morcha state president P. Sudheer and ten others.
Monday's protest march was against that attack. "If we are not allowed to conduct a public meeting in Cheemeni, we will speak at AKG Centre," said Mr Surendran. Meanwhile, CPM, in a statement, said the violence at Cheruvathur was designed by the BJP to make political gains in its stronghold. "The BJP unleashed criminals and caused havoc in Cheruvathur town," the statement from the CPM secretariat said.
