BJP councillors, police clash during march to corporation office over laptop graft allegation
Thiruvananthapuram: The protest march by BJP activists and councillors towards the corporation main office on Saturday turned violent as they clashed with police over allegations of corruption in a laptop distribution initiative run by the civic body.
The agitators accused the administration of misappropriating public funds meant to benefit students and demanded a transparent probe.As the march reached the gates of the corporation office around 11.30am, police used water cannons to disperse the crowd. The situation grew tense as some protesters attempted to jump over barricades, prompting further police intervention. The police and the protesters even had a scuffle before the cops forced them to disperse.The protest, which was inaugurated by BJP district president Karamana Jayan, follows dramatic scenes from Thursday's corporation council meeting, which turned chaotic after LDF councillors levelled serious graft charges against two BJP councillors, Punnakkamugal's P V Manju and Pappanamcode's G S Asha Nath. The councillors were accused of illegally diverting Rs 2 lakh collected as user fees by Haritha Karma Sena.
The council meeting descended into disorder when BJP councillors disrupted proceedings in protest. Some reportedly stormed the mayor's dais and allegedly manhandled deputy mayor P K Raju, resulting in the abrupt suspension of the session. Following the incident, the corporation secretary lodged a formal police complaint.In Saturday's protest, Museum police registered a case against the demonstrators.Defending the protest, BJP leaders claimed the corporation's laptop initiative was mired in corruption and a betrayal of student beneficiaries. The corporation, however, refuted the allegations, calling the protest a politically motivated attempt to divert attention from the corruption charges against BJP members. "We followed proper procedures for procurement and distribution," said a senior official of the corporation.
"Let there be a performance audit, but there is no room for such political theatrics and violence," the official added.
