Letter row: Protests turn violent; Trivandrum Mayor Arya Rajendran rules out resignation

On Friday, an OBC (Other Backward Community) Morcha protest, demanding the resignation of Mayor Arya Rajendran in connection with the letter row, turned violent.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor S Arya Rajendran. (Photo | Vincent Pulickal, EPS)
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor S Arya Rajendran. (Photo | Vincent Pulickal, EPS)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Protests continued on the fifth day at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation office premises with people demanding the resignation of Mayor S Arya Rajendran in connection with the letter row.

On Friday, an OBC (Other Backward Community) Morcha protest, demanding the resignation of Mayor Arya Rajendran in connection with the letter row, turned violent. The march reached the office around 12 noon. The police used water cannons three times to disperse the protesters but in vain. Later, some of them managed to barge into the office premises by jumping the fence.

The police, stationed inside the premises, took them into custody and shifted them to the police jeep. Some protestors who remained outside the premises were injured after the police hurled tear gas shells and grenades.

The protesters were later arrested.

BJP workers staging a protest in front of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on Friday, demanding the resignation of Mayor Arya Rajendran. (Photo | Express)
BJP workers staging a protest in front of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on Friday, demanding the resignation of Mayor Arya Rajendran. (Photo | Express)

According to a police officer, the protesters were charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 188, 283 and 332, which cover a variety of offences such as unlawful assembly, rioting, and voluntarily causing harm to deter public servants from performing their duties.

Meanwhile, UDF workers hurled stale eggs at the corporation office and police around 1 pm on Friday. This led to a minor scuffle between the police and the UDF workers. However, senior police officers intervened and brought the situation under control.

BJP councillors, on the other hand, staged a protest in front of the main entrance of the office, demanding the Mayor's resignation.

No question of resignation: Mayor

Mayor Arya Rajendran told reporters that she will not resign. She said she has the support of the LDF councillors and standing committee chairpersons.

"Anyone can protest. It is their right. But it should not be a nuisance to the public. Many people who come to the office for various purposes have to bear the brunt of these violent protests. However, the number of protesters is coming down day after day," she said.

The Kerala High Court had on Thursday sought the response of the LDF government and Arya Rajendran on a plea seeking a CBI probe or a judicial inquiry into the controversial letter allegedly written by her regarding employing party cadres in the civic body.

Welcoming the court notice, Arya said, "I thank the court for sending me a notice to hear my version. I will fully cooperate with the investigation. I trust the state government and police. All aspects of the complaint will then be covered in the probe."

Protest in front of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on Friday. (Photo | Express)
Protest in front of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on Friday. (Photo | Express)

She also added that she would seek legal advice to file a defamation case against Rajyasabha MP Jeby Mather who came with a suitcase to protest in the office on Thursday alleging that the Mayor should leave Trivandrum and go to Kozhikode.

"It seems the MP made a personal remark against me. I will initiate a legal action based on legal advice," Arya said. She said a council meeting would be convened soon to discuss the issue.

Mather was later taken to hospital after she complained of uneasiness when the police on Thursday fired tear gas shells to disperse protestors.

Ever since the letter allegedly written by Rajendran was released in public domain, both the BJP and Congress have been demanding her resignation and their councillors and party workers also staged protests at the Corporation office.

The alleged letter, written to the CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan, had sought the priority list of party cadres to be appointed in temporary vacancies in the Left-ruled civic body.

The young Mayor has right from the beginning denied that she wrote, signed or sent any such letter and claimed that it appeared to be "edited".

She has also said that she suspects it to be politically motivated and also brushed aside demands for her resignation by the opposition Congress and BJP, by terming the same as a "joke".

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