Kerala Police register case for sharing K-Rail protest pictures

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 10 (IANS) Kerala Police have booked a Youth Congress worker for sharing pictures of the marking stones which were pulled out of the ground, through which the K-Rail project is expected to pass. This is seen by many as a blatant violation of freedom of expression.

If completed the pet project of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will see a 529.45 km corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and a high speed train will run this distance in around four hours.

For the past two weeks the situation in the state is fluid with numerous protests breaking out wherever the K-Rail officials are going about doing the alignment of land by putting the marking stones.

Last week, State Congress president K. Sudhakaran warned Vijayan that they are going to see the real face of the Congress party and their party workers will pull out the marking stones wherever they have been put as part of the land alignment.

And the very next day after Sudhakaran made this statement, pictures of the marking stones which were pulled out at Madayipara, a place near Kannur were seen on various TV news channels.

It was this picture which P.P. Rahul, a Youth Congress worker shared on the social media.

"The Pazhyangadi Police have registered a case against me under charges of inciting violence. Am really surprised as this picture has been shared by thousands, I fail to understand why a case was registered against me only. I will take legal steps on this," said Rahul.

Incidentally, the local police went ahead to register a case after it received a complaint from a local CPI-M worker.

Expressing surprise at the turn of events, veteran Congress leader and former State president of the party V.M. Sudheeran reminded those in power that what they have done is a blatant violation of all the basic rules as it reminds of what happened in the erstwhile princely states during the pre-Independence period, where freedom of expression was not allowed.

The Congress and the BJP have already staged a few protests against the K-Rail project and have announced further protests also.

Metroman E. Sreedharan has described it an idiotic proposal and has warned Vijayan will be isolated if he goes ahead with this project.