Vizhinjam violence: Pre-planned, says govt; protesters say they were provoked

The violent attack on the Vizhinjam Police Station on Saturday night (November 26) that left over 20 policemen injured, has triggered a blame game between the protesters and the government with either side accusing the other of steering a peaceful protest towards violence.

The Kerala government has said that an “organised conspiracy” is fuelling the protests against the Adani Group’s port project at Vizhinjam, a day after over 3,000 people were booked for Saturday’s attack. The protesters, on the other hand, say that they were not the first ones to attack and that they retaliated after being pelted with stones from the police’s side.

On Monday, police booked around 3,000 people, mostly from the fishermen community who are protesting against the port project, for vandalising the police station and injuring as many as 20 cops in an attack on Saturday night.

“The nature of violence that happened at Vizhinjam on Saturday indicates that it was not a sudden response to a provocation, but was a planned one,” Ahmad Devar Kovil, the Minister for Ports told The Federal. “The police kept calm up to the best, still the protesters attacked the cops,” he said.

Also Read: Vizhinjam police station attack: 3,000 persons charged for rioting

The protesters have accused the government of backtracking from its assurances.

“They claim that they approved all except one demands (to stop the construction of the port) raised by us, but the government is not willing to issue a GO (Government Order) on the same. We don’t trust the mere words of assurance,” Maglin Peter, a trade union leader told The Federal.

She has a different take about the violence that erupted on Saturday. “It was not the protesters who started the clashes. We were protesting peacefully, and suddenly, someone started throwing stones. It came from the side where cops stood,” Maglin said.

Among those booked for Saturday’s violence were also priests of the Thiruvananthapuram Archdiocese of (Latin) Catholic Church and the action council members.

What led to the violence?

According to sources, the violence erupted when the protesters tried to block the vehicles that carried construction material to the port site. The sources said an altercation broke out between the protesters and another group of people who support the Vizhinjam port, leading to the violent clashes.

A few leaders of the protesters were taken into custody. Later on, the protesters marched to the Vizhinjam Police Station and allegedly unleashed an attack on the cops in which at least 20 police personnel were injured.

According to the police, a large group of protesters surrounded the station, vandalised police vehicles and held the cops hostage. A few local media persons who tried to shoot the violent incidents were also attacked. The protesters said they wouldn’t disperse until those taken into custody were released.

Organised violence: government

The government, however, views these developments as an “organised attempt” to worsen the situation. According to the cops with whom The Federal spoke to, the ‘police station attack’ was not an instinctive reaction, but was pre-planned and organised one. “The CCTV cameras on the road adjacent to the station were either disconnected or turned away. This shows that the protesters had a purposeful intention to attack the station and to destroy evidence,” an officer said.

“The government is ready for talks, but we cannot give up the port project as demanded by them. This port is going to be a milestone in the development of the state. The fishermen community also would be benefitting from it,” ports minister Kovil said. “There is an attempt to create communal unrest as well. The protesters attacked the houses and establishments of people belonging to other communities,” he alleged.

Also Read: Vizhinjam port agitation: Kerala police register 9 cases against protesters

However, the action committee dismissed these allegations. “The minister’s statement would only make the situation worse. It seems he doesn’t want a solution for the problem,” Fr Eugene Perera, the convenor of the action committee said.

The minister also explained why the government has not issued a GO on the assurances given to the action committee. “The government has already started acting on many of the assurances. For example, finding appropriate land for the rehabilitation of fishermen is in progress. Some of their demands cannot be met by the state government because the Centre has to take the call. The state government cannot take a decision on widening the coverage of kerosene subsidy, because there is scarcity of kerosene which has to be supplied by the Centre,” he said.

Kerala HC orders action-taken report

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has asked the government to submit an action-taken report on the incidents of violence. In an earlier order, the court had slammed the state government for not providing protection to those involved in construction work at the port site and had asked the government to facilitate the construction by deploying police force at the site.

Also Read: Vizhinjam port: As protests intensify, Adani Group takes Kerala govt to court

On Monday, a single-bench of justice Anu Sivaraman while considering the contempt petition filed by Adani group asked the government to explain what it has done to stop the violence at Vizhinjam. The government asked for time to file the report and the case was posted to Friday.