Football fever turns violent in Kerala; Cops attacked in Kochi, TVM

Kochi: The World Cup celebration turned violent in various parts of the state in the wee hours of Monday. In Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, fans attacked police officers and in Kannur, a brawl between various fan groups left three injured. Further, DYFI and AIYF activists clashed with each other in Kottarakara, Kollam. 

The cops in Kochi were attacked after a group of football fans blocked traffic near Kaloor Stadium. Libin, a police officer on duty, questioned their action and tried to disperse the fans. However, they assaulted him. The visuals of fans dragging him by his feet later surfaced. Meanwhile, a second cop also suffered blows while trying to save Libin. Following the incident, more cops arrived at the scene and arrested five individuals. It is suspected that the group was drunk. 

Meanwhile, Pozhiyoor Sub-Inspector Saji was injured while trying to arrest two inebriated men creating a ruckus while attending a public screening of the World Cup match. The police intervened after the group clashed with the locals. However, the accused attacked Police SI and stomped him on the ground. The police officer was later rushed to Medical College. Police later took Justin (32) into custody in connection to the incident.