Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Viayan has clarified there is no restriction on wearing black masks/attire in the state after the Opposition Congress and the BJP took to the streets to protest an ‘undeclared ban’ allegedly being enforced by the police. Vijayan said while speaking in Kannur after past few days witnessed pitched battles between protesters and the police, necessitating enhanced and unprecedented protection for the Chief Minister’s cavalcade.

Swapna Suresh strikes again

The trigger for the current spate of unrest was due to the revelations by Swapna Suresh, accused in the gold smuggling case through the diplomatic channels, dragging the Chief Minister’s Office into the controversy. Suresh had alleged that the trips made by the Chief Minister and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, State Secretary of the CPI(M) and Vijayan’s confident, to the US in recent times on the pretext of medical consultations were suspect and needed to be examined for their real intent.

Twin shock for LDF government

This had delivered the Left Front government and the ruling CPI(M) a unexpected political shock, even as it was smarting under a loss of face in the Thrikakkara byelections to which the Chief Minister attached a lot of prestige and lead the campaign from the front. The Congress and the BJP have been demanding his resignation ever since, and Suresh’s revelations only fuelled their campaign. They separately launched ‘wild cat’ black flag demonstrations to block the Chief Minister’s cavalcade.

With tight security in place for Vijayan, the police used force to disperse not just black flag-flaunting protestors, but reportedly picked up two transgender wearing black attires in Ernakulam. Opposition Congress and the BJP allege that the policemen goes berserk ‘at the mere sight of black.’

Mediapersons reporting the Chief Minister’s programmes were asked to remove black face masks and were supplied with those ofdifferent colours . Those hosting the Chief Minister at functions had reportedly requested invitees not to wear anything black.

Streets closed for hours

The enhanced security protocol are meant that roads needed to be closed for hours before and after the Chief Minister’s long cavalcade passed, resembling the scale of vigil and preparedness ahead of a visit of VVIPs. This is taking things too far, the Congress and the BJP charged.

Political observers, television channels and newspapers criticised the ‘farce and absurdity’ perpetrated in the state in the name of curbing protests, forcing the government to clarify.

The Chief Minister’s own clarification came today at Kannur, after he travelled from Thiruvananthapuram on various errands. The wait for the public on daily chores ranged between one to 14 hours, before they could have ‘unrestricted freedom of movement,’ reports said.

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