By Najiya O., TwoCircles.net,
Kochi: Police put restrictions on the Freedom Parade of the Popular Front of India and the ‘Prathirodha Sangamam’ (Assembly of Defence) of the DYFI, youth wing of the CPI (M), scheduled to be held in Kannur on August 15. The police have prohibited the marches in both programmes.
The police are ready to allow the public functions of the two organizations but maintained that either should be ready to shift its programme to a nearby town. The state intelligence had reportedly warned the police that tens of thousands of activists of two rival groups assembling in the city would lead to law and order problems.
However, both organizations made it clear that they were not ready for any change in the programme which was fixed earlier.
The Popular Front of India has planned to hold the Freedom Parade in Kannur and Idukki in Kerala, Mysore in Karnataka and Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu this year. The party has organized the Parade for the past six years in various towns and cities in South India raising the slogan ‘Be the saviours of freedom’. The DYFI is organizing the march urging to defend against the capitalist-rightist policies.
Kannur has been the centre of political violence in the state for a long time. The district is the stronghold of the CPI (M). Both the PFI and the DYFI have received prior permission to hold the programmes. And both parties are not ready to call them off at the last minute.