Efforts to lay survey stones in residential courtyards resulted in a clash between local people and the police at Kallai in Kozhikode on Friday. As many as 12 anti-K-Rail activists were arrested by the Feroke police and later released on bail. The activists uprooted the survey stones laid by the officials. Anti-K-Rail protest committee chairman T.T. Ismail and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader P. Raghunath were among the arrested.
Several people, including women, were allegedly beaten up by the police. Women alleged that female police officers were not present at the spot and that they were manhandled by male police officers. The local people said they were not informed about the laying of stones. They alleged that the government was trying to suppress the protest using the police force.
The officials started laying stones around 9.30 a.m. and finished the process in three houses near the Kallai railway station when the local people started protesting. Later the protest intensified with the involvement of anti-K-Rail activists. The claims by the officials that it was only part of a survey, and not land acquisition, fell in deaf ears. The survey procedures were stalled for some time due to protest, but resumed after more police force arrived.
“Our protest is gaining momentum. We will not stop until the government stops the SilverLine project,” Mr. Ismail said, adding that public outrage, more than the non-approval of the Centre or any other issues, will be the reason for the State government backing out of the project.
MP’s request
Meanwhile, Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan urged the police and revenue officials not to go ahead with to K-Rail-related activities. He demanded that the State government not proceed without convincing the affected population.
Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan condemned the police action against anti-K-Rail activists. “The Centre has not approved the SilverLine project. The permission was granted only for preparing the detailed project report (DPR). The Chief Minister is addressing only the upper class,” he said, adding that the project would not be approved in future too. High-speed rail tracks across the world were being built on viaducts, he added.
