PFI’s ‘freedom parade’ banned; SDPI to hold ‘long march’

By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,

Kochi: The Freedom Parade of the Popular Front of India to be held on Independence Day was banned in Kottayam and Payyannur in Kerala. The parade at Aluva was banned last day itself. The organisation had decided to fight the ban legally. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party of India is planning to hold Long Marches in four areas in the state.


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The Additional District Magistrate (in charge of District Collector) banned the parade in Kottayam reportedly following the report of the District Superintendent of Police that the Parade and related activities may lead to law and order problems. The report said that a ban was necessary to keep peace. Kannur district Collector VK Balakrishnan banned the parade and its arrangements at Payyannur. The parade at Aluva was banned last day by the Ernakulam Assistant District Magistrate citing it may affect the law and order situation. The Ernakulam Rural SP had reportedly recommended for a ban as the investigation into the attack on the professor accused in blasphemy case led to many PFI activists.

The ban on the Freedom Parade will be fought legally, said P Abdul Hameed, state general secretary of the PFI. He said that the decision to ban the Parade which was being conducted for several years was undemocratic and against the spirit of national interest.

Seven towns were selected to hold the Parade this year. Since three of them –Aluva, Kottayam and Payyannur – have been banned, the parade could be held at Kottarakkara, Pattambi, Kondotty and Kuttiady. The PFI has been conducting Freedom Parade on Independence Day in various towns in Kerala since 2004 with the slogan ‘Be the sentinels of freedom’. It was being conducted in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for the last two years.

In another development, the Social Democratic Party of India has decided to hold Long Marches in four areas in the state with a view to spread the message of the party. The decision was taken at a time when the party’s offices also are being widely raided along with the offices of the PFI in connection with the investigation into the attack on the professor. The marches will take place from 27 to 31 of this month. Meetings were held in Kannur, Malappuram and Ernakulam to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, police came to the SDPI meeting held in an auditorium in Ernakulam. When the SDPI leaders contacted the City Police Commissioner, they were reportedly said they could continue their meeting in the presence of the police. Though they opposed it at first citing it was not a secret meeting, they agreed to it at last. The meeting was held to fix the rout and other details of the Long March from Kunnamkulam to Kottayam. Party state secretariat accused that the police atrocity in the meeting was an insult to democratic Kerala. The meeting chaired by state president Adv KP Muhammed Shareef reportedly warned that the governments using the police to torture the party members would be tried in the people’s court.

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