DYFI protest at Paliyekkara toll plaza: Clashes erupt as activists let vehicles pass without paying | WATCH
Thrissur: Tension flared at Paliyekkara toll plaza on Monday during a protest march organised by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), which ended in a confrontation with the police. Officers deployed water cannons on protesters who attempted to breach the police cordon and storm the toll plaza office.
The march, which began from the Paliyekkara side, saw DYFI workers overturn police barricades near the plaza and reach the toll booths, where they allowed vehicles to pass through without payment. Protesters also uprooted metal barriers tied with ropes at the booth and threw flower pots placed in front of the office.
As DYFI activists tried to force their way into the toll plaza office, police responded with water cannons to disperse them.
The protest was organised by the DYFI district committee demanding the immediate completion of national highway construction works, resolution of severe traffic congestion, and an end to the alleged apathy of Union Minister Suresh Gopi and MP Benny Behanan. They also called for the scrapping of what they termed as "unjust toll collection”.
Around 250 activists took part in the march.