The United Democratic Front (UDF) will organise protests on March 4 demanding Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to relinquish the Home portfolio given the general breakdown in law and order and increasing number of political killings and attacks on women and children, front convener M.M. Hassan has said.
Protest marches will be organised to the Secretariat and the district collectorates in Ernakulam and Kozhikode. Mr. Hassan said the Chief Minister, the police and the CPI(M) had been protecting goonda elements and the drug mafia. People were living in fear after a spate of murders. The police department had become a mute spectator even as unprecedented levels of violence by goons had happened under Mr. Vijayan’s tenure.
This was a direct result of politicisation of the police force. As many as 56 political murders had taken place in the State after Mr. Vijayan took charge, he said. UDF MPs, MLAs, presidents of local bodies and other leaders will take part in the protests. At the protest in front of the Secretariat, UDF leaders from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts will take part.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan will inaugurate the protest at 10.30 a.m.
UDF leaders Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala, P.J. Joseph, A.A. Azeez, C.P. John, Mani C. Kappan, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Kodikkunnil Suresh, N.K. Premachandran, Adoor Prakash and Anto Antony will take part.
Mr. Hassan will inaugurate the protest in front of the Ernakulam Collectorate, while IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty will inaugurate the protest in front of the Kozhikode collectorate.
