9 KSU activists protesting Chandy's exclusion detained

Kochi: Nine activists of Kerala Students Union were taken into preventive custody from near Naval airport here as they were waiting to wave black flags at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's motorcade today.

Police said the activists of KSU, the students' wing of Congress, were taken into preventive custody even before the PM's helicopter from Thrissur landed at Kochi.

The activists wanted to wave black flags at the PM in protest against exclusion of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy from the unveiling of statue of former Kerala CM R Sankar by Modi tomorrow at Kollam.

They were later let off, police said.

Congress had said it would observe 'prarthana sangamam' (prayer meeting) in front of the statue of the former CM in Thiruvanthapuram as a mark of protest.

KSU had said their activists would wave black flags and wear black bands on their mouths as a mark of protest.

Vellapally Natesan, General Secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalanayogam (SNDP), organisers of the programme, had said it was not a government function and so there were no issue of protocol.

A controversy had erupted on December 12 over the decision of SNDP, an organisation of backward Ezhava community, to exclude Chandy from attending the function.