THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police arrested four persons including two CPM local leaders for blocking the houseboat in which Nobel laureate Michael Levitte was travelling during the general strike called by trade unions in Alappuzha on Wednesday.
The arrested persons have been identified as Jolly Issac and Sabu local leaders of CPM, and party led farm labour union member and CITU worker Sudheer and Ajit Kumar respectively. Alappuzha district police chief K.M. Tomy said that the arrested persons had been charged with sections pertaining to obstruction of public way, line of navigation and wrongful confinement.
On the direction of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Kottayam collector P.K. Sudheer Babu called on Levitt at Kumarakom. He conveyed state government’s anguish and concern over the incident.
The collector clarified that the Nobel laureate was guest of the Kerala University.
He told Levitte that the government had taken serious note of the incident and assured strong action.
The Nobel Laureate said that he had no complaints against the workers who blocked him.
“Kerala is beautiful. The backwaters are wonderful and the people are very good,” he said when reporters sought his reaction about his experience.
The renowned bio-physicist had a harrowing experience when the houseboat he was travelling in along with his family, was blocked by trade union strike supporters on Wednesday.
