Withdrawal of Vizhinjam protest cases: Political manoeuvre or genuine support?

The rest — 42 cases — have been registered under sections that fall under serious offences, and thus would not be withdrawn.

Briefing on the circumstances that led to this decision, the government stated that it received many petitions from various quarters and “considering them the cases are being withdrawn”.

The protests — spearheaded by the Latic Catholic Church and other organisations — were launched in July 2022 with the demand for the immediate scrapping of the Vizhinjam deep-sea port project.

They witnessed clashes between the police and fisherfolk as well as damage to public property.

The protestors claimed that 50,000 fisherfolk spread across 32 fishing villages would be affected by the multi-crore international trans-shipment terminal at Vizhinjam on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.

They also said that if the project became a reality, the region might witness a serious environmental crisis.

The four-month-long protests eased after the government assured rehabilitation and study of environmental impact, besides making other promises.

Also Read: Police register cases against 3,000 anti-Adani port protesters

Trade union claims poll ploy

The Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) — a trade union of small-scale artisanal fishers in the state — is of the stance that the government’s decision is nothing but a ploy for electoral gains.

“They think that they could appease the fisherfolk with this. This is just a political manoeuvre to sway fisher voter sentiment ahead of the elections,” said Valerian, a member of the KSMTF.

“But they are wrong. We have not forgotten what they did to us. We will vent our feelings as a vote,” he told South First.

(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)