Thiruvananthapuram: Police used water cannons and resorted to lathi charge to disperse Youth Congress activists, who allegedly pelted stones at them after they were stopped from taking out a procession to the official residence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here Monday.
The activists were demanding resignation of Transport minister Thomas Chandy, who is facing encroachment allegations at a lake resort owned by him in Alappuzha district
NCP nominee, Chandy, a businessman-turned-politician, was inducted into the state cabinet eight months ago following the resignation of A K Saseendran after a purported sleaze audio clip with a woman went viral.
The Congress-led UDF and BJP demanded Chandy's resignation after Alappuzha district collector T V Anupama confirmed that a paddy field had been reclaimed for laying the road to his resort.
Besides the backwaters were also allegedly encroached to construct a parking space for the resort, according to the collector's report.