The Kerala government drops 157 charges involving demonstrators at Vizhinjam Port

The state administration has dropped most of the complaints filed in 2022 against participants in demonstrations against the development of Vizhinjam Port, in a clear political maneuver before of the general elections. Of the 199 cases that were recorded, the administration declared its intention to remove 157 of them.

The administration emphasized that forty-two major cases remain, whereas little ones had been dropped. The decision was made at a time when all political parties are vying for the support of the Latin Catholic population, which is quite influential in several coastal areas, particularly in the seats of Thiruvananthapuram and Attingal.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Latin Church had meetings on March 8 as a result of the reconciliation attempt, which was mediated by K V Thomas, the state’s special envoy in New Delhi. The administration then made the decision to drop the charges.

The Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA), however, said that the government’s response was insufficient.

People living along the shore demonstrate against the Adani port project in Vizhinjam in Mulloor, Thiruvananthapuram, in this illustrative picture.
Roadblocks caused by anti-port demonstrators opposing Adani’s Vizhinjam project in Thiruvananthapuram