People's Democracy

KERALA

Police Attack Students; Hurl Grenades on Campus

N S Sajith

ON January 9, 2014, students in Thiruvananthapuram were brutally attacked by the police when they staged a protest against the UDF government’s move to commercialise education by granting autonomous powers to several educational institutions. Police lathicharged the students and used water cannons on them. They hurled grenades on University College campus, one of the premier educational institutions in the state, resulting in injuries to some student activists.

Police lobbed teargas shells and grenades and used water cannons to quell the students as they regrouped near the University College in the heart of the city after being dispersed from near the legislature complex to where the march was taken out. Six students were admitted in hospital as they were injured in lathicharge and grenade attack.

Repression was let loose on students by police without any provocation.  The police entry into the premises of the Government Sanskrit College, and University College is a violation of the rule that restricted entry of police into campuses without being summoned by the principals.

As the news of attack spread out, CPI (M) Central Committee member and MLA, E P Jayarajan rushed to the spot. Apart from Jayarajan, SFI state president Shiju Khan and state secretary  T P Bineesh, DYFI state president T V Rajesh, MLA, R Rajesh, MLA addressed the protest meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram.

INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE

AGAINST LPG PRICE RISE

THE CPI(M) has decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike against the centre’s policy of a periodical hike in the price of LPG. The indefinite struggle will be held in 1400 centres in the state from January 15 onwards. One leader in each centre will sit on the indefinite hunger strike and thousands of people will gather there to express solidarity, CPI (M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on January 7. The CPI(M) state secretariat has finalised the modalities of the struggle, he added.

Thousands of families will join the struggle every day. The protest of the people of Kerala will reverberate all over the country. The masses, whose burden has intensified due to the LPG price hike and Aadhar imbroglio, will be a part of this struggle. The time span of the struggle has not been decided as yet.

The centre has resorted to a loot of the people by curtailing subsidies and at the same time it bestows tax subsidies to the corporate giants. Aadhar was introduced in order to curtail the subsidies. LPG price hike was meant to appease the companies like Reliance and Essar. Veerappa Moily, the central minister for oil and natural gas has repeatedly ruled out any roll back in price hike. He protects the interest of the monopolies. This hike is a result of pro-rich liberalisation policies. When Manmohan Singh became the prime minister, the price of an LPG cylinder was Rs 150 and now it has reached to the level Rs 1294 for a non-subsidised cylinder. People have been squeezed by the centre which provides huge tax benefits to the monopolies. There is no justification for this price hike when the international price of the crude oil decreases. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has also justified the centre’s decision, Pinarayi said.

In the meanwhile, the state assembly also witnessed a huge protest against the LPG price rise. As the speaker denied permission for an adjournment motion moved by Dr Thomas Isaac, the LDF staged a walkout on this issue.