Youth Congress march turns violent in Wayanad; Police resorts to lathi charge

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi represents Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

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Police, Youth Congress workers injured

Though the protest march began on a peaceful note, it turned violent after the Youth Congress workers tried to jump the police barricade.

Police resorted to water cannons to disperse the protesters who allegedly pelted stones at the cops later. In a subsequent lathi charge, some YC activists and police personnel suffered injuries.

The agitators also squatted on the road and staged a sit-in protest later raising slogans against the state government.

Wayanad has been witnessing intense protests for over a week following back-to-back deaths of two local men due to the attacks by wild elephants.

A ministerial delegation, which visited here yesterday on directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, discussed the remedial proposals and took decisions during a meeting attended by the local people’s representatives and officials

The state government also pledged to deploy additional rapid response teams and promised to cover treatment expenses for individuals injured in wild animal attacks here, following protests demanding a permanent resolution to frequent human-wildlife conflicts.

Rahul Gandhi and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan visited the kin of those who were killed in animal attacks.

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