KOCHI: Tension simmered at the High Court Junction on Friday as police removed around 100 persons, including women and children, who were protesting against the IOC LPG terminal. MP Jaya Ghosh, who led the protest, said police arrested the agitators without any provocation.
“The police aggravated the situation. We were protesting without creating any issue. Several women and children were injured when police arrested them,” he said. The police also arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state convener C R Neelakandan. A protest meet will be held near Goshree junction on Saturday.
Meanwhile, an IOC contractor lodged a complaint with Njarakkal police over theft of several equipments, claimed to be worth `4 lakh, from the LPG terminal at Puthuvype. The stolen materials include desktops and laptops.
The IOC spokesman said local residents have been preventing company officers and contractors from entering the plant since February. However, they entered the site on June 14 with police protection. It was then they realised about the theft. The IOC officers said surveillance cameras installed at the plant too were vandalised.