Puthuvypeen stir: Indian Oil Corporation terminal stir ends in clashes

KOCHI: The agitation against the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) LPG Terminal at Puthuvypen took a violent turn when scores of people including women and children were injured during clashes between the police and agitators on Sunday. A cross section of political parties, social organisation and human rights activists condemned the police lathicharge on people protesting at the site. The Welfare Party of India has called for a hartal in Ernakulam district while the Congress and several other outfits called for a hartal in Vypeen.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for a meeting of all stake-holders in connection with the project on Wednesday at Thiruvan-anthapuram to resolve the crisis. The district collector Mohammad Y. Saffarullah appealed to the people to stop all agitations in view of the meeting called by the Chief Minister. He also said that IOCL had agreed to suspend all construction related activities till Wednesday in response to the meeting by the CM.   Former chief minister and veteran CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan has called for a probe into the police action and suspension of Ernakulam Deputy Commissioner Yatish Chandra.

The police action on Sunday took place at around 11 am when the local people gathered to stage a march to the project site following the resumption of the construction. The police team deployed in the area as per the directive of the district collector tried to prevent the agitators from entering the location. The stand-off between the police and the agitators soon led to a scuffle and the police unleashed a baton charge at the crowd which included women and children. The police alleged that the protestors tried to break police cordon and storm the project site accompanied by heavy stone throwing. Protesters said the police action was completely unwarranted without any provocation.

Police said several of their colleagues were injured in stone pelting, while protestors said the police resorted to indiscriminate lathi-charge. The protestors refused to disperse and were taken into custody and shifted to the Armed Reserve camp in Kalamassery. Police said the arrested would be booked for rioting and unlawful assembly. The injured in the clash were taken to the Government Medical College in Kalamassery and the Ernakulam General Hospital.

The protesters claimed that nearly 30 persons sustained injuries in the police action. As many as 73 protesters including 69 women were detained following the protests. According to M.P. Jaya Ghosh, chairman of the Puthuvype LPG Terminal Virudha Janakeeya Samara Samiti the contractors in connivance with IOC officials resumed the works at the project site in violation of an order by the District collector. “The protesters were laying siege before the project site when stones were pelted on them from inside the terminal complex. The police personnel then resorted lathi-charge without any provocation,” he said.