Thiruvananthapuram: Prohibitory orders in place till Sunday

THIRUVANANTHPAURAM: Around 450 additional policemen were deployed and pickets were put up at regular flash points of CPM-BJP fights on Friday morning following violence that started from previous day. While unrest prevailed in city during past week over SFI’s attempts to gain foothold in AVBP stronghold of MG College, the first attack on Thursday was reported at the outskirts of Kattakada. The house of CITU state secretary Kattakada Shashi was attacked on Thursday early morning by vandals believed to be RSS activists. The flag poles of SFI and later BJP was vandalised at Airani-muttom near Attukal in the afternoon.

The series of attack on houses of leaders in city started at around 9 pm with ABVP leader Suraj’s residence being vandalised in Fort police station limits. Followed by this, houses of CPM Chalai area secretary S.A. Sundar and DYFI area president Unni were attacked. House and vehicles of Chalai councillor S.K.P. Ramesh was the next target. A local BJP leader named Unni, had his tailor shop ransacked in the midst. With this violence spread southward to Attukal. Here the house of councillor and BJP district secretary Beena RC was attacked.

BJP Manacaud councillor CPM Jyothi’s house was the next to be attacked Violence again spread southwards as the house of CPM’s Kalippank-ulam councillor Rasiya Begum was attacked. The vehicles parked here were destroyed. Further, the house of Kunnukuzhy councillor IP Binu was pelted with stones which according to CPM cadres triggered the attack on BJP state committee office in the same ward. Finally, the reverberations of attack where felt elsewhere at BJP ruled Nemom Assembly constituency as the houses of CPM district leader Karamana Hari and that of Nedungad councillor S. Pushp-aletha was attacked with petrol bombs.

The last to be attacked was the Maruthankuzhy residence of Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son of CPM State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan located at Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency. The window panes here were broken and rear view mirror of a car suffered damages. City police commissioner Sparjan Kumar said that the prohibitory order on processions, demonstrations, public meetings and sloganeering will continue until Sunday and could even be extended.