People protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)
The Kerala government has directed the state police to remain vigil and keep a close watch over activities that might trigger violent protests following the incident where two people were killed in police firing during the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Karnataka's Mangaluru on Thursday.
DGP D Loknath Behera said that police teams in northern districts in the state including Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kasaragod, Kannur have been asked to remain on high alert as protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act grips the country.
This comes after several incidents of train and bus routes blocking were reported from several parts in Kerala on Thursday.
Activists belonging to the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Kerala Students Union (KSU), who led protest marches to the railway stations in Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram respectively, blocked trains on Thursday midnight.
The KSU activists, who protested on the rail tracks at the Central Railway Station, were removed by the police after an hour.
On December 19, Karnataka RTC bus services were hit during anti-CAA protests in some parts of the state as activists raised slogans against the Mangaluru police action.
The protests were carried out by Congress party under the leadership of DCC president T Siddique. The agitators blocked roads, burnt tyres in Kozhikode, while Campus Front activists blocked roads and burnt the effigy of Amit Shah past midnight.
The Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has suspended bus services to Mangaluru.
State Transport Minister, AK Saseendran told reporters that the service would be resumed only after the situation there comes under control.
Police sources said protesters defying prohibitory orders attempted to lay siege to the Mangalore North police station and tried to attack police personnel, following which force was used to disperse them.
Two persons received bullet injuries in police firing, and they later succumbed at a hospital, Karnataka police had said.
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(With inputs from PTI)
