Clash breaks out between Youth Congress, police personnel in Kerala's Kannur
Jan 12, 2024
Kannur (Kerala) [India], January 12 : A clash broke out between the Youth Congress and police personnel in Kerala's Kannur on Friday during a protest against the arrest of their leader, Rahul Mangkoothil.
Youth Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil was arrested on Tuesday by the Kerala police for his involvement in the Secretariat march against the state government's Nava Kerala Sadas, which turned violent.
The Youth Congress members marched to Kannur civil station, where they protested against the arrest but soon the protest turned into a violent clash.
The police personnel present at the spot had to use water cannons on the protestors in order to disperse them.
The protestors, in their response, tried to vandalise the fire engine that was being used for the water cannon. 
A large number of Youth Congress members were removed by the police from the spot and arrested.
As per the reports, some of the Youth Congress workers, including women, suffered injuries in the clash.
Widespread protests were held in Kerala on Tuesday as well over the arrest of Rahul Mamkootathil by the Kerala police.
Youth Congress workers blocked the road in Malappuram, however, they were removed by the police from the spot and arrested.
The police arrested Rahul Mamkoottathil on Tuesday for his involvement in the Secretariat march. The cantonment police arrived at the Youth Congress leader's home in Pathanamthitta to register the arrest. 31 Youth Congress workers were arrested in connection with the event earlier. Rahul Mamkoottathil is the fourth accused and opposition leader VD Satheesan is the first accused in the case.
Rahul was taken to Thiruvananthapuram after the arrest. He has been charged under non-bailable sections. The police will present him before the court later to demand custody.
Earlier, the Youth Congress Secretariat held a march in protest on December 20 against the attack on Kerala Students Union (KSU) workers by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists and the Chief Minister's gunmen during the Nava Kerala Yatra of the state government.
The march resulted in a clash and the police had registered a case against around 500 people, including opposition leader VD Satheesan as the first accused, Rahul Mamkootathil and MLA Shafi Parampil.
'Nava Kerala Sadas' is a government outreach initiative that involves the Chief Minister and ministers touring all state assembly constituencies. Its goal is to showcase the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's accomplishments and outline plans for Kerala's prosperous future.
