Kerala police have booked more than 3,000 identifiable people for allegedly attacking a local police station and assaulting and injuring 36 cops in connection with the ongoing protests against the Vizhinjam seaport in Thiruvananthapuram.
The police alleged that around 3,000 people, who were part of the protest against the seaport, marched to the Vizhinjam police station on Sunday night and unleashed violence and vandalism.
The protesters have accused the police of sparking violence by throwing stones at them.
The protesters had gathered at the police station to seek clarity on the arrest of five of their compatriots for obstructing the movement of trucks to and from the port project site on Saturday.
Of the five arrested, four were released on bail on Monday and the fifth was sent to judicial custody.
The FIR said the protesters threw stones, assaulted cops, vandalised property on the police station premises and laid siege to the building for several hours.
The Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, which is leading the protest, has denied the allegations and accused the police of triggering the violence by arresting five innocent men. More than 30 fishermen were injured in the baton charge to disperse the mob that had laid siege to the police station.
Vicar of the Vizhinjam Latin Church, Father Milton, told reporters on Monday: “We saw policemen throwing stones at us and the women (who too had gathered on the police station premises) running helter-skelter. More than 30 fishermen sustained head injuries in the baton charge that followed.”
He questioned the rationale behind packing the police station with officers from other areas.
“There were more than 50 cops in that small police station and many of them were outsiders,” he alleged.
City police commissioner Sparjan Kumar said: “The police did not resort to any kind of action until they were attacked by the local people. The protesters, who laid siege to the police station, did not even allow the injured policemen to be taken to hospitals. That’s when they resorted to a baton charge.”
The fisherfolk, under the leadership of the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, have been protesting against the Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd, being built under a public-private partnership with the Kerala government.
The protesters have blamed the Rs 7,525-crore seaport for massive coastal erosion in the area that has destroyed homes of hundreds of fisherfolk. Construction at the project has stopped since August 16 when the fisherfolk started a sit-in by pitching a tent on the main road leading to the seaport.
On Monday, Kerala High Court directed the police to maintain law and order while hearing a case filed by the Vizhinjam Adani Port Pvt Ltd and the contractor, Howe Engineering Projects (I) Pvt Ltd. The court had earlier directed the protesters to allow free movement to and from the seaport site.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan of the Congress said: “The government literally provoked the people by registering cases against the archbishop and auxiliary bishop.”
The police had on Sunday booked Archbishop Thomas J. Netto and auxiliary bishop Christudas Rajappan on conspiracy charges over Saturday’s protest. Several others were charged with offences ranging from rioting to attempt to murder.