Kerala Police Use Water Cannons to Disperse Protesting BJP Workers in Thiruvananthapuram Demanding KT Jaleel’s Resignation (Watch Video)

Kochi, September 17: The Kerala Police on Thursday used water cannons to disperse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers who were protesting demanding the resignation of State Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel. The BJP workers have been protesting outside the State Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram demanding Jaleel's resignation in the gold smuggling case. Jaleel is the Minister for Higher Education, Welfare of Minorities, Wakf and Hajj in the LDF-led government in Kerala.

On Thursday, Jaleel appeared before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kochi, which is probing the recent gold smuggling case. So far, he has been named for allegedly violating protocols while accepting religious books and flood-relief kits from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consulate in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: KT Jaleel Hasn't Given 'Satisfactory' Statement During Interrogation, Says ED.

Watch: Kerala Police use water cannons to disperse protesting BJP workers

Kerala has been witnessing widespread protests by various opposition parties demanding the Jaleel's resignation. The Congress alleged that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is protecting Jaleel and the government has lost moral responsibility to continue to be in power. Jaleel had earlier admitted that a consignment containing Holy Quran had been received from the UAE Consulate here, which a top Customs official had referred to as "prima facie violation of FCRA"(Foreign Contribution Regulation Act).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2020 02:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).