Kochi lathicharge to strain CPM-CPI ties
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Kochi: The police action against CPI leaders and workers in Kochi the other day has hit the tenuous cord that binds the twin communist parties, alongside others, into the coalition government.
CPI workers took out a march to the office of Inspector General of Police in Kochi seeking suspension of circle inspector of Narakkal police station. Police unleashed lathicharge. It turned out that those injured in the action included Eldho Abraham, CPI MLA from Muvattupuzha—causing agitation in CPI.
Eldho Abraham later said the recent few incidents including the lathicharge showed the collapse of police administration.
What agitated CPI more, perhaps, was police firing of water cannons alongside lathicharge and stopping of the march led by Ernakulam district secretary P. Raju.
Police says they were compelled to use force as activists tried to break the security cordon and storm the IG office. But CPI leaders’ dubbed police action as unprovoked.
