Protests demanding the resignation of Kerala Health Minister Veena George intensified across the state on Saturday, following the death of a woman due to the collapse of a building at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam.
The agitation, led primarily by Congress and BJP workers, turned violent in several districts. In Thiruvananthapuram, a Youth Congress protest march to the Health Minister’s official residence led to tense scenes as protestors tried to breach police barricades. Police responded with water cannons and a lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
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In Kollam, a Congress-led march to the Sasthamkotta Taluk Hospital also turned confrontational, with several individuals, including a Block Congress President, sustaining injuries during clashes with the police.
In Kannur, Youth Congress members attempting to enter the District Medical Officer’s office compound were met with police resistance. Water cannons were used again, and tensions escalated further when protestors blocked the Kannur–Taliparamba National Highway. During the confrontation, the Taliparamba constituency Youth Congress President, Prajish, sustained a head injury.
Meanwhile, BJP protesters were forcibly removed by police in Pathanamthitta as they attempted to march to Minister Veena George’s residence. BJP workers also staged protests at the Kozhikode Medical College, raising slogans demanding her resignation.
Protest demonstrations by Congress and BJP workers were reported from several other districts, including Kottayam, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam.
The tragic death at the Kottayam Medical College has sparked widespread outrage over the state of Kerala’s public health infrastructure and the alleged mismanagement by the health department.
Criticism of Minister Veena George has intensified, especially after the Head of the Urology Department at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College recently disclosed that surgeries had to be halted due to a lack of basic equipment.
