Scuffle breaks out at Thiruvananthapuram Corporation meeting over attendance register

A council meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in Kerala turned disorderly on Monday as a BJP councillor allegedly attacked an opposition leader and two women councillors. The incident occurred after opposition parties protested the continued presence of a BJP councillor who is under arrest.

The meeting began with protests from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) against BJP councillor R. Sugathan, who is detained under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) at Viyyur Central Prison. Councillors from both opposition fronts held placards demanding his removal.

Mayor V.V. Rajesh played a video clip of Local Self-Governments Minister K.M. Shaji, then rushed through the agenda amid slogans and declared the meeting closed. After the declaration, a scuffle broke out between BJP and UDF councillors.

UDF council party leader K.S. Sabarinadhan alleged that the fight started when UDF councillors took possession of the council attendance register and minutes book, which they claimed the Mayor had kept hidden. BJP councillor Chempazhanthy Udayan, who chairs the Education Standing Committee, attempted to snatch the files, leading to physical altercations. Sabarinadhan accused Udayan of attacking him and abusing women councillors, calling it “typical RSS behaviour”.

LDF councillor K. Sreekumar alleged that the Mayor had not convened a meeting for 47 days to help Sugathan, who could lose his councillor post if absent from four meetings. Three LDF women councillors, injured in a previous scuffle with BJP councillors last week, attended the meeting in wheelchairs. LDF leaders accused the Mayor of “presiding over a goonda raj” and using physical force against opposition.

The opposition had earlier planned to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP administration but decided against it due to uncertainty over LDF support.