UDF calls for hartal in Thiruvananthapuram district on Wednesday

Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF has called for a hartal in Thiruvananthapuram district on Wednesday in protest against police action on Youth Congress workers agitating against agreement between government and self-financing medical colleges before the Secretariat on Tuesday.

The hartal, announced by Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala after a meeting of the UDF, will be from 6 am to 6 pm.

The Opposition Leader said that UDF would take up the agitation over admissions and hike in fees in self-financing colleges. The police action against the agitating Youth Congress workers, when KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran was with them, was unprecedented.

He said that the Chief Minister’s allegation that those who had shown black flags at him were persons hired by television channels was wrong. Those who showed the black flags were Youth Congress activists Balu, Rinku, Ajilshah and Saji.

The police used tear gas shells and resorted to lathicharge at the venue of the hunger strike by the Youth Congress after stones were pelted at the police. Youth Congress workers as well as policemen were injured.

Youth Congress workers Dean Kuriakose and C. R. Mahesh, who were on hunger strike, developed nausea after the tear gas shells were burst.  They were later shifted to hospital.