Cases against BJP, Youth Congress leaders for protest marches held in Palakkad

Palakkad (Kerala): Cases were registered on Thursday against BJP and Youth Congress activists in connection with the tension during the protest marches held by both parties here on Wednesday.

According to police, a case was registered against 16 BJP workers who took part in the march to the MLA's office, including Palakkad East district president Prashanth Sivan.

Similarly, a case has also been registered against Youth Congress leaders who marched towards the BJP office.

Youth Congress district president Jayaghosh and 19 people have been named in the case.

Meanwhile, MLA Rahul Mamkootathil turned down a reported request from the police to hold talks with BJP leaders to resolve the issue.

“There’s nothing to discuss with BJP leaders who issued threats to sever heads and legs. Instead, a case should be registered against them,” he told reporters.

He questioned when the police started acting as "mediators".

“We don’t want any mediation. The Congress is not interested in holding talks with them behind closed doors. It’s the police’s duty to maintain law and order,” he added.

The MLA said the country has a legal system in place, and action should be taken accordingly.

He also stated that Congress will deal with the matter both politically and legally.

Congress MLA Mamkootathil and the other leaders, including Sandeep Warrier, who recently joined the Congress after snapping ties with the BJP, staged a sit-in protest in front of the South police station, alleging police action against party workers during a march taken out to the BJP office here on Wednesday night.

The march was taken out in protest against an alleged threat speech targeting Mamkootathil by BJP leaders, according to Congress leaders.

A scuffle broke out between the Youth Congress workers and police during the march and the protesters alleged that they were beaten up by the security personnel, they added.

Mamkootathil and others demanded that a case be registered against the BJP leaders who allegedly made the threatening speech and clashes.

Earlier, the BJP took out a march to the Mamkootathil MLA's office, alleging that the Congress MLA created the row over naming a skill development centre for disabled persons after RSS founder K B Hedgewar.

The controversy erupted after Congress and Youth Congress activists had on Friday disrupted the skill development centre's foundation stone laying ceremony organised by the BJP-ruled Palakkad municipality.

During the BJP's march, district general secretary M K Omanakuttan issued a warning, saying that if the party's top leadership decided, Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil would not be allowed to set foot in the district — and that "his feet wouldn’t touch the ground and his head would be seen in the sky." On Friday, after the Congress and YC activists tried to stop the foundation stone laying ceremony, the BJP had conducted a march to the grand old party's district office, shouting slogans in favour of Hedgewar.

The Congress had said they were not against the project, but opposed it being named after an RSS founder.