In an attack on the Vizhinjam police station in Kerala on Sunday night, a group of protesters led by the Latin Catholic church damaged police cars and injured at least 29 police personnel in a demonstration against the construction of the Adani Group port.
After one individual and a few others were detained in connection with the violent protests on November 26, the mob attacked police officers with sticks and stones.
See organised xtian groups vandelising police station in Kerala. Police remaining mute spectator to all this. And we believe this police going to save us when we become minority in Kerala.
— Pratheesh Viswanath (@pratheesh_Hind) November 27, 2022
This protest is funded by foreighn agencies to sabotage Vizhinjam port. Its Koodamkulam2.0. pic.twitter.com/wOzMbDMGQX
Protesters attempted to block a vehicle by smashing police jeeps. Two police officers reportedly suffered significant injuries. While the second officer was sent to a hospital in Vizhinjam, the first officer was taken to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
As per reports, an all-party meeting is to be held today in Thiruvananthapuram after the violent attack on the police station.
#Kerala: Anti port protest in #Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram turns violent. All-party meeting to be held today to restore peace in the area. Around 2,000 fishermen marched to the police station last night and vandalized the office. pic.twitter.com/hkkiPYasoy
— DD News (@DDNewslive) November 28, 2022
According to accounts, protesters reportedly stopped cars on Saturday carrying supplies and equipment to the Vizhinjam project site despite undertakings provided to the Kerala High Court, culminating in a confrontation. A handful of project supporters opposed the protestors’ presence during the fight.
On Sunday, charges were filed against at least 15 Latin Catholic priests, including Archbishop Thomas J. Netto, Fr. Christudas, Fr. Eugine Perera, and Lawrence Gulas, in relation to violent clashes in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, between those who supported and opposed the harbour project.
Construction on the seaport, which is being developed by the Adani Group, has restarted as a result of the court decision, the company told PTI. “It’s been 102 days since the work has been halted here due to the protests. We approached the state High Court, which gave us a favourable ruling. The court had asked us to restart the work but this is the situation today also. Now, let the court take a decision, “according to a spokesperson of the company.
After protesters, mostly Christians led by Catholic priests, erected a sizable shelter blocking its entrance and claimed that the port’s development had deprived them of their livelihoods, work at Adani’s Vizhinjam seaport in Kerala state, on India’s southern tip, has been suspended for more than three months.
Earlier, on August 29, the state High Court ruled that work at the Vizhinjam Port could not be suspended and that any concerns about the project might be lodged at proper forums.
Protests against the Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose port in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala have been ongoing for some time, with the Catholic Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram taking the lead with fishermen pressing their demands under their leadership.
The protesters’ main demand is that the construction of a Rs 7,525-crore deepwater port and container transhipment facility in Vizhinjam on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram be halted and an environmental impact analysis be conducted.
