Central forces are likely to be deployed at the Adani Vizhinjam port project site in Thiruvananthapuram as there were no signs of truce in the stir, which is even attaining a communal colour.
As the state government didn't object to a plea of the Adani group before the Kerala High Court seeking the deployment of central forces for the protection of the project site, the court on Friday sought the centre's response on the matter and posted the case to December 7.
The ruling CPM in Kerala justified the move with party state secretary M V Govindan stating that there was nothing wrong with central forces being deployed for the protection of major establishments.
Sources said that central forces might be deployed to prevent the agitators from entering the port project site, while the state police itself would be handling any law and order problems related to the ongoing agitation.
Meanwhile, the agitation was attaining a communal colour with the CPM keeping on accusing the Latin Catholic church of spearheading the stir over a communally sensitive remark of a priest against fisheries minister V Abdurahiman. Even as the priest tendered an apology, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state secretary raked up the issue by accusing the priest of trying to trigger communal sentiments.
Latin Catholic church Vicar general Eugine Pereira said that it was unfortunate that ministers were making baseless allegations of extremist links to the agitation. The agitators would not get frightened by such campaigns and cases being slapped against them.
Another archdiocese in Kerala had also flayed the alleged attempts to give a communal colour to the stir.
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Thalaserry in Kannur Mar Joseph Pamplany stated that it was unfortunate that the stir was being framed as a stir of the Latin Catholic community.
Meanwhile, Kerala transport minister Antony Raju said on Sunday that he did not suspect any external influences behind the stir. Raju's statement assumed significance as Raju's brother and activist A J Vijayan was among those who were allegedly hatching the conspiracy to sabotage the port project as per a report in CPM mouthpiece 'Deshabhimani' recently.