Youth Congress members waited inside St. Teresa's College premises; black flag protest against CM's convoy in Kochi

KOCHI: Youth Congress activists wave black flags at the Chief Minister's motorcade in Kochi. The protest took place when the Chief Minister, who left after inaugurating the Mattancherry and Willington Island boat jetties of the Kochi Water Metro, reached the Ernakulam guesthouse. This was despite heavy security arrangements made by the police. The activists, who were waiting in the vicinity of St. Teresa's College, pretending to be parents, jumped onto the road as soon as the Chief Minister's motorcade entered the Guesthouse road from Park Avenue Road and waved black flags, party flags and yelled slogans.

The protesters were subdued under the leadership of Ernakulam Central Assistant City Police Commissioner Sibi Tom and SHO Aneesh Joy, who were stationed near the guesthouse, but the activists had already waved black flags at the Chief Minister. Youth Congress District President Sijo Joseph, State Secretary Swathish Sathyan, Jergus V Jacob, Ameer Manakkadan, Aslam Thottathil and B Ashraf, who led the protest, were forcibly taken into police custody and taken to Kalamassery police station. They were released on bail after the Chief Minister left Kochi in the evening.

Youth Congress workers waving black flag, a security breach

Many parents had come with their children as the scholarship exam was going on at St. Teresa's College. Youth Congress workers had planned to protest at the BOT bridge and Mattancherry Chullickal in the hope that the Chief Minister, who would land in a helicopter at the Grand Hyatt, would go to Mattancherry by road. However, this move failed when the Chief Minister, who had reached Vypin from Bolgatty, reached Fort Kochi by roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service from there. Meanwhile, the police had removed the protesters from the BOT side. On the Chullickal side, the Youth Congress members protested by smearing their bodies with black oil.