The Kerala Police on Sunday blocked Yuva Morcha activists who marched to the Mullaperiyar dam site to dig canals from the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam in order to lower its water level as per a call given by Kerala Water Resources Minister PJ Joseph.
The police action of blocking the activists some distance away from the Mullaperiyar dam at Vallakkadavu in Idukki district caused some tension but Yuva Morcha workers, who had cleverly reached the dam, site symbolically carried out the canal-digging and hoisted flag on the dam even before the march took place.
“We have come here to carry out the Government’s call to dig canals in order to lower the dam water level. But when we reach here for that, the police block us,” said State BJP president V Muraleedharan, who earlier inaugurated the march. “The Government should now admit that it is not serious about the safety of the people and that the Minister was just joking,” he said.
The police resorted to lathi-charge on the Yuva Morcha activists when they tried to pass through the barricade at Vallakadavu which led to mild stone-pelting from the part of the marchers. Following this, the activists sat in a dharna on the road protesting against the police violence on the marchers, who had reached there to “carry out the Minister’s call”.
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