A high-voltage drama marked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's flight to Thiruvananthapuram from Kannur on Monday.
Two Congress activists, one sporting a black shirt, allegedly staged a protest on the flight soon after it touched down at the State capital.
(The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are on the warpath against Mr. Vijayan, demanding his resignation after UAE diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh attempted to “implicate him in a similar economic offence.”)
Grainy video images captured on mobile phones by co-passengers showed Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener E.P. Jayarajan, who was on the same flight, preventing the protesters from moving towards Mr. Vijayan's seat.
One of the Congress workers fell on the cabin floor in the mele. Later, the police detained the duo.
Different versions
There are different versions of the inflight incident. Mr. Jayarajan told a television channel that the workers had demonstrated on the aisle after Mr. Vijayan exited the aircraft. He alleged that both were in an alcohol-impaired State, and their speech slurred.
The police identified them as Congress Mattannur block president Farzin Majid and secretary R.K. Navin.
In Kannur, the police claimed that they had challenged the person wearing black shirt while he was entering the aircraft. He reportedly told the police he was visiting an ailing relative admitted to the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram and denied any political association. DIG, Kannur Range, Rahul. R. Nair, has ordered in enquiry.
‘Assaulted’
Outside the Thiruvananthapuram airport, one of the activists, Majid, told reporters that Mr. Jayarajan had assaulted them. He and Mr. Navin meant no harm to Mr. Vijayan. Mr. Majid denied he was drunk. “I insist that the police put me through a test to record my blood alcohol level,” he demanded while being whisked away to the hospital in an ambulance summoned by the police.
The Valiathura police have taken custody of the duo. Officers indicated that they would book them for imperilling aircraft security, endangering fellow passengers and attempting to harm the Chief Minister. Congress workers hailed the detainees for their "daring".
Meanwhile, Mr. Vijayan alighted at the airport under a tight security cover. Congress workers wearing black shirts protested Mr. Vijayan's arrival outside the airport. The police discharged water cannons and fired tear gas shells to prevent the workers from throwing themselves in front of the Chief Minister's motorcade.
‘Bid to harm CM’
Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the Congress had attempted to harm Mr. Vijayan physically. He termed the attack ignominious. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member A. Vijayaraghavan termed the "attack" the manifestation of a Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plot to harm Mr. Vijayan.
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers took out a march to the Secretariat condemning the incident.
