Anti K-Rail protest boils over at Nattassery

The public outrage against the proposed SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project continued to boil over in Nattassery, Kottayam, for the second consecutive day on Tuesday with the region witnessing a tense stand-off between the local people and the police.

Having ended their protests following the withdrawal of a survey team on Monday evening, the protesters returned to Kuzhiyalippadi, the venue of protest, around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. By the time they assembled at the spot, K-Rail officials, guarded by a huge police contingent, had already begun surveying the area and planting marker stones.

As the police blocked the attempts by the protesters, including municipal councilors, to enter the location, they picked up an argument with the officials over proceeding with the survey without intimating the residents. Following this, the police removed the barricades erected on the road.

Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who visited the spot, warned that the police could not stand guard to the survey stones forever. “Women are protesting here without even having their first meal of the day. Authorities should immediately suspend the survey and help avoid a crisis situation,” he urged the authorities.

The agitation, which progressed peacefully till then, took a sudden turn when a group eventually breached the police blockade and plucked off a survey stone laid at the location. As the police tried to clear them by force, another group led by District Congress Committee president Nattakom Suresh rushed to the scene and put up a stiff resistance.

As the protests took a violent turn, the authorities were forced to suspend the process. With the crowd remaining there despite repeated warnings by the police to disperse, the process was soon called off.

The protest spread to more areas with activists of the Youth Congress taking out a march along Kottayam town. The activists breached a police barricade and laid a survey stone on the premises of the collectorate here as a mark of protest. Following this, the police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse the crowd and took some of the activists into custody. Traffic along the region faced disruptions during the protest.