Kochi : Congress-led flash protest in Kochi against LPG price hike took violent turn. Several commuters who became stranded for hours this morning opposed the illegal strike outright, including actor Joju George who voiced his frustration on road asking who will account for the helpless stranding of hundreds on their way to work, hospital and other urgencies.
Early Monday morning Congress workers parked their cars on various roads and walked away with the keys. Follwing this, traffic between Edapally and Vytilla and the highway came to an abrupt halt. The hugely disruptive protest, paralysing traffic in the peak hours, was inaugurated by Kodikunnil Suresh.
Actor Joju, one among the stranded, pitched strong resent over the incident. Soon more commuters openly voiced scathing criticisms against misconceived protest style. Arriving Congress workes responded by tracking Joju's car and smashing the vehicle's window. The actor too sustained wounds in the skirmish.
As police hit the scene, Kochi DCP said the strike was illegal and lacked permission. Even so, KPCC K Sudhakaran came out in justification for the violence saying car smashing and stalling traffic were natural fallouts of a protest and instead sought action against Joju, accusing him of drunken verbal abuse.He further snubbed the actor as a lowly goonda.
