KOCHI: The Unity March taken out by the Popular Front of India (PFI) on Monday, which brought the city to a standstill for hours and left thousands of commuters in dire straits, was organised without any permission and violating rules, but the police stood as mute spectators.
Rules stipulate that prior permission is a must for holding a rally on city roads and the route map and timing have to be submitted in advance, but Monday’s march, attended by thousands, blatantly violated them.
City Police officials maintained the march was illegal. “We didn’t interfere because we didn’t want the law-and-order situation to become volatile. We’ve registered a case of rioting and unlawful assembly against thousands of PFI workers whom we’ve to identify,” an official said.
Kochi City Police Commissioner Vijay Sakhare told TNIE the march was organised without permission.
“We’ve registered a case against them. Had we stopped them, it would’ve resulted in unnecessary law-and-order issue,” said Sakhare.
According to the commissioner, nearly 20,000 PFI activists took part in the march. The march was initially planned from High Court junction to the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, but after the police denied permission, the route was changed from Kathrikadavu to the JN Stadium.
The city witnessed heavy congestion for about six hours beginning from 4pm as the police started regulating traffic on the Palarivattom-Kaloor, Kaloor-Kadavanthra and Thammanam-Kadavanthra stretches and areas near Kathrikadavu by 3pm.
Normally, police issue a press release informing traffic regulations a day before such events, but in this case an official communique came out only after 10am on Monday.
6 hours the city was caught in traffic jam on Monday evening
20,000 PFI activists took part in the march
Route map and timing have to be submitted in advance, but Monday’s march did not submit them