Amid raging protests by the Opposition parties in connection with the allegations raised by Swapna Suresh, one of the key accused in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a new Central Prison and Correctional Home at Thavanur near Kuttippuram on Sunday.
Security in the district was tightened like never before as the police dealt with the protesters with an iron first. The police displayed a rare detestation of black as they asked the people at the venue to remove black masks and blocked people wearing black shirts.
Protesters of the Youth Congress and the Muslim Youth League, who marched to the venue waiving black flags against the Chief Minister, were blocked at Mini Pampa and driven away by using water cannon. The police resisted the attempts of the protesters to break the barricade.