THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The tension simmering in the state for the past few days following the Congress’ protest against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan boiled over into the streets on Monday night with CPM’s frontal organisations deciding to retaliate in the same token.
Two Youth Congress workers moved towards the CM’s seat raising slogans on board an aircraft before being pushed to the ground by LDF convener E P Jayarajan who was on the same flight. As the video of the incident went viral on social media, enraged DYFI workers took out a protest march towards Congress state headquarters on Vellayambalam-Sasthamangalam road in Thiruvananthapuram. They threw stones and damaged the car used by veteran leader A K Antony who was in the office at the time of attack. As a retort, Congress workers staged a march and destroyed CPM flags in front of the office of MLA V K Prasanth at Sasthamangalam. Police lathi-charged the Congress workers to disperse them.
Three Youth Congress workers boarded the Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Indigo flight by purchasing tickets at the last moment from the counter, paying around `12,000 per ticket. After the flight landed in Thiruvananthapuram around 4.50pm, two of them got up and moved towards the CM’s seat raising slogans. The third worker didn’t take part in the protest, but recorded the act on phone. Jayarajan, who was behind the CM, pushed the workers who fell on the aisle. “The attempt to attack the chief minister happened when he got up to take his bag,” said Jayarajan who also alleged that the protesters were in an inebriated condition.
Youth Congress Mattannur block president Farzeen Majeed, clad in a black shirt, and Kannur district secretary Naveen Kumar, who moved towards the CM, were arrested soon after they got out of the aircraft.
Youth Congress workers shouted slogans against the CM at the exit of the domestic airport as he was proceding to his official residence.
A challenge to people, democracy: CM
The police resorted to using seven rounds of teargas at them. In the melee, three protesters were injured. Later, the personal assistant and gunman of the CM filed a police complaint against the Youth Congress workers alleging that they had attacked them. “This is a challenge to people and democracy. They plan to create law and order issues across the state. The UDF gets the support of BJP to do that. The support extended by senior Congress leaders to the Youth Congress miscreants is a clear proof that the attack was an organized one,” Pinarayi said in a statement. He called for democratic protests against UDF’s anarchic ways, but cautioned his supporters not to fall into the trap laid by the opposition.
As CPM and Congress workers battled it out on the streets in many parts of the state, state police chief Anil Kant ordered a tightening of security across the state. Congress state president K Sudhakaran, MP, who rushed to Indira Bhavan following the attack, said Congress will observe a black day on Tuesday to register their protest against the KPCC office attack.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan alleged that CPM and DYFI diverted the peaceful protest by UDF into violence. “Don’t think that the protest against the CM can be suppressed by violence. We are taking up the challenge of DYFI and CPM that they won’t allow us to go out ,” he said.CPM state secretariat equated the YCs protest on board the aircraft to a terrorist activity. “As they are attacking CM even inside the aircraft, the party will be forced to take up the security of the CM,” a statement from the CPM said. Mavelikkara MLA M S Arunkumar’s vehicle was blocked by Congress workers near Kilimanoor on Monday night. Five people were arrested in connection with this.
Aviation rules and punishment
According to Rule 23 of Aircraft Rules, 1937, no person who is on board an aircraft shall indulge in assault, intimidate or threaten any other person either verbally or physically
Next landing location will be jurisdiction for taking cognisance of such an offence. If proven, the accused can be imprisoned for one year or slapped with a fine of Rs 5 lakh or both
As per norms revised by DGCA in 2017, any passenger who verbally assaults a co-passenger or crew can be banned from flying for three months. Any passenger who assaults a co-passenger can be banned from flying for six months.