Protests sweep Kerala demanding Minister's resignation over medical college incident

Thiruvananthapuram | BJP workers and Congress activists staged protests across Kerala on Monday, demanding Health Minister Veena George’s resignation over alleged "lapses" in the health sector.

Protesters clashed with police at several locations, attempting to breach barricades and calling for George to step down following the death of a woman after a portion of the Kottayam Medical College building collapsed last week.

The state has been witnessing intense protests since the July 2 incident, which triggered a major political row.

In Kannur, BJP workers marched to the district hospital and Thalassery General Hospital, accusing the Left government of "deliberately undermining" the public health sector to benefit private hospitals.

Inaugurating the protest at Kannur district hospital, senior BJP leader K Surendran said the party would intensify its agitation until George resigns.

BJP workers also staged protests in Alappuzha, clashing with police and raising slogans against the government and the health minister.

In Kozhikode, police used water cannons to disperse Youth Congress workers marching towards government offices demanding George's resignation.

Outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, Mahila Congress activists clashed with police while attempting to jump barricades.

Protesters, led by Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mether, alleged that a woman protester was injured after being "manhandled" by the police.

The protests were sparked by the death of Bindu, a 52-year-old woman, after a toilet complex adjacent to wards 10, 11, and 14 at Kottayam Government Medical College collapsed last week.

Bindu, who was accompanying her hospitalised daughter, was trapped in the debris. Three others were injured in the incident.

While the Congress and BJP called the death "tantamount to murder" and intensified protests demanding George's resignation, state ministers, including V N Vasavan, Saji Cherian, P A Mohammed Riyas, and V Sivankutty, dismissed the allegations as "politically motivated."