Youth Cong march turns violent in Thiruvananthapuram

A march, taken out by Youth Congress and Kerala Students Union activists over the fees hike in private medical colleges, turned violent here today, with police resorting to lathicharge and teargas shells to disperse the agitators.
Trouble began in front of the Secretariat soon after the Congress-led opposition disrupted the Assembly proceedings over Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks against the ongoing agitation by Youth Congress (YC) against the agreement between the government and the management of private medical colleges.
Agitators allegedly pelted stones at police and disrupted traffic movement in front of the state Secretariat.
Police lobbed tear gas shells, used water cannons and made a cane charge to disperse the protesters.

Youth Congress said its state president Dean Kuriakose and vice-president C R Mahesh, who have been on a fast in front of the Secretariat for the last eight days, suffered uneasiness after tear gas shells burst at their protest venue.
KPCC chief V M Sudheeran, who visited the venue, condemned the police action and staged a dharna there as a mark of protest.

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala also reached the spot and criticised the police.
Opposition UDF called for a dawn-to-dusk strike in Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow to protest the police action on the students.

Earlier in the day, taking potshots at the Youth Congress agitation, Vijayan said in the Assembly that those who waved black flag at him recently as part of the protest was not YC activists but somebody "hired" by television channels.
He also said CPI(M)-led LDF government would not go back from its present agreement signed with the managements of private self financing medical colleges.