The statewide agitation called by the opposition Congress in Kerala against the cases registered against party leaders V D Satheesan and K Sudhakaran on Tuesday turned violent at several places after police lathi-charged the party workers. The Congress held protests and organised marches to the offices of the district police chiefs in the state.
Senior Congress leader and All India Congress Committee general secretary, Tariq Anwar, who inaugurated the protest in the state capital said the party will fight the cases registered against Satheesan and Sudhakaran legally and politically.
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"The LDF (Left Democratic Front) is aping the central government's attitude of silencing the opposition parties," Anwar said.
He alleged that the Left party was using the government machinery against political opponents like the Prime Minister. Several party workers were injured when police resorted to lathicharge at the protest march in Kasaragod and Malappuram districts.
Sudhakaran is a second accused in a cheating case involving controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. The vigilance department has registered a case against Satheesan in connection with the Punarjani matter, a housing for poor scheme, in which the complainants have alleged that funds from abroad were misused.