Kerala CM faces protest by fishermen

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan  on Sunday faced a protest from a group of fishermen when he visited nearby Vizhinjam to express solidarity with the community affected by Cyclone Ockhi. As Vijayan came out of a local church to board his car, a group of men tried to block his way.

Some of them raised slogans protesting alleged government apathy toward their ordeals in the wake of the cyclone, which has claimed 19 lives in rain-related incidents in the state and left several fishermen stranded at sea. Several of the missing fishermen hailed from Vizhinjam.

Police had a tough time removing the protesters. Vijayan later left the place along with Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. Earlier, while interacting with fishermen at another place in Vizhinjam, the chief minister said the government shared the concern of the fishing community.

“We can expect good tidings. Our effort is to locate the remaining missing fishermen,” he said. Protests were witnessed elsewhere in some coastal areas including Alappuzha and Chellanam in Ernakulam district over the alleged delay in rescuing the fishermen. Some of the protesters squatted on rail tracks and were removed by police.