Tense moment at police station in Kerala as Cong protests over arrest of activists

Tension prevailed on the premises of a police station in the city on January 1 night after Congress workers staged a blockade demanding the release of their activists who were arrested for displaying black flags at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues. The protest ended at 2 AM after the police produced the arrested Congress workers before the Magistrate in the small hours of Tuesday following which they were released on bail.

Congress leaders, including Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, MLAs Uma Thomas, T J Vinod, and Anwar Sadath, alleged that the police misbehaved with them when they reached Palarivattom police station to inquire about the reason behind refusing to grant station bail to the arrested Congress workers. The protesters had also burnt an effigy of the CM in front of the police station. The grand old party leaders claimed that the police had initially agreed to release the party workers on station bail. However, the police later refused following the intervention of local CPI(M) leaders. Earlier, the Congress workers were rounded up by the police after displaying black flags towards the convoy of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues passing through the Palarivattom area. The chief minister and the ministers stayed in Kochi on Monday. They reached the city to participate in the Nava Kerala Sadas programme in four assembly constituencies, which was initially scheduled for December 9 but was deferred following the death of CPI leader Kanam Rajendran. The public outreach initiative, featuring Chief Minister Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues touring the state, officially wrapped up in Thiruvananthapuram on December 23.