KSU march in solidarity with Kerala PSC rank holders turns violent, several injured

The protest turned violent when the police tried to block the KSU workers from entering the Secretariat.
Kerala KSU Workers keeping hands on head  during a clash with the police outside the Secretariat
Kerala KSU Workers keeping hands on head during a clash with the police outside the Secretariat
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A march taken out by the workers of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, in solidarity with protesting rank holders of Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC), turned violent on Thursday following a clash between the police and the protesters. The protest was held outside the Kerala Secretariat.

Several people, including the protesters as well as the police, got injured in the clash. Those injured include KSU state President KM Abhijith, Vice President Sneha S Nair and General Secretary Nabeel Kallambalam. The protest of the rank holders has been backed by the KSU and the Youth Congress workers from the beginning.

Visuals from the protest show police caning the workers. The protest turned violent after the police tried to prevent the KSU workers from entering the Secretariat and used water cannon to disperse them.

According to reports, around 10 workers and five police personnel got injured. While some women protesters also sustained injuries, the police said that the details of the number of injured are not known yet.

"The injured have been shifted to various hospitals. First, they were shifted to the General Hospital but from there shifted to other hospitals. We do not yet know if someone is seriously injured," an official with the Cantonment Police Station told TNM.

The Youth Congress workers reportedly reached the protest venue after it turned violent on Thursday. KSU workers began blocking the road after the clash while Congress MLAs Sabarinath and Shafi Parambil’s indefinite fasting entered the fifth day.

Rank holders of the PSC Last Grade Servant (LGS) have been protesting outside the Secretariat alleging that the government made 'backdoor appointments' to the vacant posts.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Oommen Chandy has said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will have to pay a heavy price for his arrogance towards hapless and jobless youth who are protesting.

Watch the clash between the police and the protesters 

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