The BBC documentary on Gujarat riots was screened by Congress at the Shanghumugham beach, a popular domestic tourist spot in Thiruvananthapuram city, on Thursday evening.
The screening that went off peacefully drew a considerable crowd of local tourists who turned up at the beach to enjoy the holiday. A strong posse of police was also deployed in the area to avert tension.
Congress leaders said that though the BJP Yuva Morcha workers were planning a protest, "it seems they have withdrawn the plan owing to the considerable crowd." "The screening was held at the beach to enable the people to watch it. Even tourists from other states who were at the beach could be seen eagerly watching it," Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary G S Babu said.
The screening of the documentary at public places in various parts of the state on Tuesday led to tension with BJP-Yuva Morcha activists staging protests. In several places, the police had to use force against the BJP activists. Cases were also registered against Yuva Morcha activists in some places. Even though the BJP state leadership demanded the Kerala government ban the screening, the state government did not respond.