Widespread protests held over arrest of Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil
In its official statement the Indian Youth Congress said "Attack on free speech will not be tolerated. We condemn the arrest of our IYC Kerala.
Police arrested Youth Congress Kerala state president Rahul Mankoottathil from his residence on Tuesday. (Photo/ANI)
MALAPPURAM: Widespread protests were held in the state on Tuesday over the arrest of Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil by the Kerala police. Youth Congress workers blocked the road in Malappuram. Youth Congress workers were removed by the police from the spot and arrested.
In a surprise move, the police arrested Rahul Mamkoottathil on Tuesday for his involvement in the Secretariat march. The cantonment police arrived at the Youth Congress leader's home in Pathanamthitta to register the arrest.
31 Youth Congress workers were arrested in connection with the event earlier. Rahul Mamkoottathil is the fourth accused and opposition leader VD Satheesan is the first accused in the case.
In its official statement the Indian Youth Congress said "Attack on free speech will not be tolerated. We condemn the arrest of our IYC Kerala.
President Rahul Mamkootathil for peacefully protesting against the brutality of government. CPM in Kerala has created a fascist administration under the illusion of "free left"." Rahul was taken to Thiruvananthapuram after the arrest. He has been charged under non-bailable sections. The police will present him before the court later to demand custody.
Earlier, the Youth Congress Secretariat held a march in protest on December 20 against the attack on Kerala Students Union (KSU) workers by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists and the Chief Minister's gunmen during the Nava Kerala Yatra of the state government.
The march resulted in a clash and the police had registered a case against around 500 people, including opposition leader VD Satheesan as the first accused, Rahul Mamkootathil and MLA Shafi Parampil.
'Nava Kerala Sadas' is a government outreach initiative that involves the Chief Minister and ministers touring all state assembly constituencies. Its goal is to showcase the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's accomplishments and outline plans for Kerala's prosperous future.