Video: Kerala MLA Manhandled By Angry Locals Over Waste Disposal Inaction

A lawmaker in Kerala faced public wrath for allegedly ignoring a key issue related to health and waste disposal in Kannur district. KP Mohanan was manhandled by the locals when he went to inaugurate an Anganwadi centre in his Kuthuparampu constituency on Thursday, visuals showed.

The protest is linked to a garbage disposal issue at a local dialysis centre. Locals alleged that untreated waste from the health facility was being disposed of in their locality and that it risked poisoning the groundwater table in the area.

Fearing a health crisis, they had been agitating for months and demanding a waste treatment mechanism. They claimed they had informed the MLA about their concern multiple times, but he ignored their repeated requests to intervene in the matter.

The matter escalated on Thursday when Mohanan, an MLA of the Loktantrik Janata Dal, part of the ruling LDF, reached the area to inaugurate an Anganwadi. The locals gathered in large numbers and demanded accountability, leading to a dramatic confrontation.

Ignoring them, he tried to force his way through the crowd of protesters and was seen being pushed and manhandled by them.

Acting on its own, the police charged about 25 locals with unlawful assembly, and under other sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. While the public face the law, the MLA has yet to address public concerns.