A Youth Congress demonstration to the Secretariat alleging backdoor appointments in government officers turned violent on Tuesday.
Hundreds of activists marched to the Secretariat by around 1.30 p.m. raising slogans against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
The agitation was led by Youth Congress State president Shafi Parambil, K.S. Sabarinadhan, V.T. Balram, Anwar Sadath and Roji M. John, MLAs.
Mr. Parambil accused the government of scuttling appointments through the Kerala Public Service Commission and ignoring rank-lists to engaging undeserving people without proper appointment process.
Soon after the legislators addressed the agitators, some of them attempted to topple the barricades erected before the North Gate. While this led to tension, the police used water cannons to disperse the protesters. While they refused to relent, the police fired tear gas and grenades at least thrice, paving way for a full-blown clash.
The situation showed signs of escalation when the police attempted to take Mr. Parambil and some other Youth Congress activists into custody.
MLAs arrested
However, peace was soon restored. Mr. Sabarinadhan and Mr. John were among those who were also taken to the Armed Reserve camp and subsequently arrested. Some agitators were also hospitalised for minor injuries.
