Chaos descends on capital for second consecutive day as police and KSU workers skirmish on street

KSU activists clash with police in Thiruvananthapuram, resulting in injuries & traffic snarls. Opposition protests against CM's security squad.

Chaos descended on the capital for the second consecutive day on Thursday with the Opposition Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists clashing with the police on the street.

The melee resulted in injuries on both sides. It caused traffic snarls across the city, with the police diverting traffic from the conflict zone.

The violence unfolded when KSU workers marched to the State Police Headquarters demanding that action be taken against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s personal security officers for allegedly assaulting the students’ unions’ activists in Alappuzha last week.

The students attempted to pull down the barricades, blocking the road to the police headquarters. The police responded by discharging the truck-mounted water cannon several times. The pressurised jets of water felled several students. However, the police failed to disburse the protesters.

The police baton charged the students after some officers accused the activists of throwing chilli powder into the eyes of the baton and shield-wielding law enforcers in full riot gear.

Later, Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA, who inaugurated the KSU protest march, accused the police of deliberately targeting women activists with water cannons. He claimed he sustained a blow on his arm when he attempted to prevent the police from beating fallen KSU activists.