Mayhem at council lands Mayor V K Prasanth in Medical College Hospital
Thiruvananthapuram: A routine council meeting at Thiruvananthapuram Corporation ended in a scuffle, in which Mayor V K Prasanth was injured and was admitted to the critical care unit of Government Medical College, Hospital. LDF alleges that BJP’s V G Girikumar yanked the Mayor’s leg causing him to fall on the stairs. BJP councillors allege that Girikumar was kicked by LDF’s I P Binu. Two men were seen standing on the stairs in front of the Mayor, impeding him.
The LDF alleges that these two and several others BJP supporters were brought to create an issue. They say that the BJP created the commotion to purposely scuttle the announcement of projects related to the council’s third anniversary celebrations. “It was a premeditated operation by the BJP,” said CPM District Secretary Anavoor Nagappan who arrived at the Corporation. CPM's V K Sivankutty, BJP's O Rajagopal, and BJP District President S Suresh visited. The Mayor was taken to the Government Medical College Hospital. According to BJP councillors, Girikumar was also taken there, but hospital authorities had no knowledge of him being admitted there.
Later, there was a heated exchange between Kalippankulam councillor Rasiya Beegum and Attukal councillor Bina, in which they both allegedly pushed each other. They too were taken to hospital. Even as the LDF alleges that it was premeditated, it was a disagreement over a resolution related to high mast lamps by BJP’s V G Girkumar, which triggered the protest, while the council meeting was still in session. The agenda items that remained were hurriedly passed, though BJP councillors were shouting slogans in the council’s well. The Mayor announced the meeting was over around 1.30 pm, but as he proceeded to the flight of stairs near the council hall, BJP councillors blocked him.
He tried plodding through a swarm of councillors, with Girikumar trying to prevent him from moving forward. Before he could start climbing the stairs, the BJP councillor was lying flat on the stairs. Photographs suggest that the councillor’s body, edging close to the Mayor’s legs, caused Prasanth to fall. For some time, the Mayor was seen struggling to get up, before councillors and staff helped him get back on his two feet.
Meanwhile, the LDF and BJP staged protests in front of the main office, both against the ‘Goondaism’ of the other. LDF’s Kerala Municipal and Corporation Staff Union members were larger in number, compared to the few BJP councillors present. Eventually the BJP brought a set of speakers. LDF protestors, separated from the BJP protestors only by the Corporation pond, also started using the microphone. Police stood helplessly watching the pandemonium. The crowd dispersed by 5 pm.
