THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after she was forcibly removed by the police from the protest site and shifted to the General Hospital, LPST Rankholders’ Association secretary S Valaramthi rejoined the protesters at the venue on Thursday afternoon and resumed her fast unto death. However, by night, her condition worsened and she was again taken to the hospital by the protesters.
Meanwhile, the late-night police action at the rank holders’ protest venue seemed to have made no impact, as protesters resumed their stir soon after.
Earlier, while speaking to TNIE about the police action and her forced hospitalisation on Wednesday, Valarmathi had said that she was given no major treatment. “Even my sugar and blood pressure levels seemed largely normal. If they removed me solely due to my health concern, they should have given me some treatment, but nothing of that sort happened,” she had said.
Meanwhile, General Education Minister N Samsudheen said the government was not against any democratic protest, and the police action was initiated due to Valarmathi’s deteriorating health, an action any government would have taken. “The UDF government has not done any harm to them; it only supported them to the fullest,” he said earlier in the day, while reiterating that the teacher-student ratio cannot be reduced as per the demands of the protesters.
The opposition parties, meanwhile, termed the police action undemocratic. CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the action was carried out according to Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s orders. “Reestablishment of the protest shed before the secretariat soon after the police action should be seen as a new chapter in Keralam’s history. It conveys that even if the police use force to demolish a protest venue, the protest can never be sabotaged,” M V Govindan told reporters.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “Demolishing the protest tent and arresting and removing Valarmathi, instead of holding discussions with the protesting job seekers and finding a solution to their problems, is evidence of the government’s anti-democratic mindset.”