Ernakulam: Police on Saturday resorted to lathi charge and used water cannon to disperse Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers as they tried to march towards VPS Lakeshore Hospital here on the issue of alleged violation of organ donation norms. 

The police evoked action as the workers tried to jump over the barricades placed. The workers also threw stones at the cops. The workers were later taken to the police station. 

BJP student organisation ABVP has been demanding a detailed probe on the matter. They also wanted the doctors concerned to be removed from their respective positions. 

This is the first time that a political party has been organising a protest march to the hospital over the matter. Earlier in the week, a Judicial First Class Magistrate Court directed officials to issue summons against eight doctors and VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi concerning the organ donation of a youth who was declared brain dead following an accident in 2009.

In a related development, ABVP organised another protest march towards the Kannur Collectorate, alleging that the police treated ABVP members harshly during a march organised on Friday. The march, which commenced from Kannur Old Bus Stand on Saturday, took a tumultuous turn when the protesters attempted to breach the barricades set up by the police near the collectorate.

In response, law enforcement authorities employed water cannons to disperse the crowd and maintain order.