Defying threat and ban, BJP takes out march in Narath

Around two thousand BJP workers, mostly youth, defying police ban, took part in a protest march organized by the party to the Popular Front terror training camp in Narath on Tuesday. Police, however, forcefully stopped the BJP protest march and arrested leaders including K Surendran.

BJP alleged that the 300 strong police contingent used brutal force to stop the march and assaulted the protestors. Protesters then squatted on the road and continued protest. Protestors also raised nationalist slogans and demanded strong action against anti-national forces.

Though PFI leadership had announced that they would block the BJP march to the PFI camp, none of them were in sight when protesters gathered and took out the march in the morning. Despite the threat and police ban, BJP district leadership had made it clear that they would not back off from the planned protest. . The BJP leadership alleged that the district administration was succumbing to pressure from extremist outfits by banning the march.

“Instead of imposing a ban on the march the police should have offered protection to the participants of the march,” asserted K Renjith, district president of the BJP.

The PFI had erected flex boards adjacent to almost all the banners placed by the BJP in the district, in connection with the march planned, which stated that the march would be blocked by PFI activists.“The police action of banning the march proposed to be held on Tuesday has no justification. The LDF, the UDF and the DYFI had organised similar protests at Narath since the weapons training camp was unearthed at Narath. Why should the BJP march alone be banned?” said K Renjith.

The ‘Thanal Charitable Foundation’ office building at Narath was from where arms were recovered and 21 PFI activists were arrested for their alleged involvement in weapons training. Investigators also found that around Rs one crore was transferred from Middle East to the account of one of the suspects through money transfer.(with inputs)