The Yuva Morcha supporters barged into the Secretariat by scaling the fence in solidarity with the protesting PSC rank holders. The PSC rank holders were staging a protest for the past few days demanding extension of the validity of the rank lists for another six months and also to put an end to the regularization of temporary staff.
The activists, which included women, were blocked by the police from entering the Secretariat. Three Yuva Morcha supports that were able to enter the Secretariat compound were later arrested by the police and shifted to the police camp. The activists even tried to block a police vehicle, which resulted in the escalation of tension.
For the last two weeks, Kerala has been witnessing high-voltage protests against backdoor appointments. Earlier, several agitators even tried to douse themselves in kerosene and threatened to commit suicide in protest against the government’s decision not to extend the validity of the rank lists.
Meanwhile, in another incident, police detained a group of workers who were on their way to protest in front of the secretariat. The action was taken against workers who were fired from the company of Ravi Pillai, an expatriate businessman during the Covid-19 period. They went on strike against the dismissal of workers who had been in service for more than 20 years without any benefits.
The workers, who were travelling in a bus to Thiruvananthapuram from Ochira, were arrested after the bus was stopped at Chinnakkada, Kollam. About 65 people were taken into custody. Initially, the police said that they were taken into custody to avoid a clash later. Following the controversy, the police came forward with further details. According to police, those who were going to march towards Pillai’s house were arrested.
