T’puram: Yuva Morcha’s march to Secretariat in support of LPST PSC rank holders led to a confrontation on Friday, with police using water cannons thrice to disperse protesters who tried to breach barricades outside Secretariat.The march, which began from Pulimoodu, was organised in solidarity with LPST rank holders, who have been staging a prolonged protest outside Secretariat demanding appointments, and against alleged irregularities in PSC.When the procession reached the protest venue, a section of activists tried to push past police barricades, leading to a confrontation. Police responded by using water cannons three times. Protesters also alleged that police personnel poked them with lathis during the scuffle, leading to a brief face-off. Yuva Morcha state president V Manu Prasad intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further.Inaugurating the march, former BJP state chief K Surendran alleged that the previous LDF govt’s tenure witnessed the biggest corruption and loot in the history of PSC. He accused the state govt of failing to address alleged exam irregularities, including question paper leaks and recruitment-related malpractices, and demanded a fair probe into the allegations.Surendran criticised the state govt for not engaging with the rank holders. He alleged that it had failed to honour assurances on timely PSC recruitments and preventing the cancellation of rank lists.He further demanded that the state govt take action against those responsible for alleged irregularities in PSC recruitments and resolve the grievances of the protesting candidates.
