Youth Congress secretariat march: Court remands Rahul Mamkootathil; case against 250 others

Thiruvananthapuram: Youth Congress State President Rahul Mamkootathil, who was arrested on Thursday during a Secretariat march, has been remanded to judicial custody. Along with him, four other Youth Congress leaders have also been remanded. The police have registered a case arraigning 11 individuals in connection with the violence that erupted during the protest. Cases have also been filed against 250 other identifiable persons involved.

Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey sustain a head injury after police resorted to baton charging. In an effort to disperse the protesters, the police used water cannons seven times during the clash, which lasted over an hour and a half.

Varkey, who was seen bleeding from his head due to the beating, refused to leave the protest site for the hospital and demanded action against a certain police officer. Several other Youth Congress activists were injured in the police action, according to the visuals.

While Varkey refused to budge from the site, Rahul Mamkootathil was forcibly removed from the area and put in a police bus and taken away despite the protestors efforts to prevent it.

Prior to the area outside the secretariat turning into a battle zone, the Youth Congress activists shouted slogans against the Left government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his political secretary P Sasi and ADGP (law and order) M R Ajithkumar.

Mamkootathil alleged that the CM, Sasi and the ADGP have turned the secretariat into an underworld hub.

KPCC President K Sudhakaran, who arrived at the scene, issued a stern warning, threatening to "deal with" the police responsible for attacking the Youth Congress workers out on the streets.

Youth Congress state committee organised the protest march demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of shielding his political secretary, P Sasi, and ADGP M R Ajith Kumar over the allegations raised by Nilambur MLA PV Anvar. Condemning the police brutality against the Youth Congress activists, the Congress has called for another protest march to the Secretariat on Friday.