Youth Congress workers block forest minister, lathicharged in Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram: Tension prevailed in front of the secretariat after a group of Youth Congress activists, who are conducting a hunger strike on the self-financing medical colleges' issue, blocked the car of Forest Minister K. Raju on Saturday morning. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protestors around 11 a.m. One of the injured activists was taken to the Medical College Hospital. More Youth Congress workers who arrived at the spot blocked MG road.

The activists, including state president Dean Kuriakose and vice-president C.R. Mahesh, had been staging a hunger strike for the past five days. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who came to the spot soon after the incident condemned the incident. Mr Chennithala said that the police were acting brutally against the agitators who have been protesting peacefully.

The Cantonment police registered a case and arrested some workers. City police have deployed more personnel in front of the secretariat. Later in the day, Youth Congress workers waved black flags at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his vehicle was blocked in front of the Nabard headquarters near the secretariat. They were taken into custody immediately. In another incident, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja was blocked by Youth Congress activists in Kannur.