In a symbolic protest against the pathetic condition of city roads, Congress councillors in Thrissur Corporation on Monday reached the corporation wearing ‘blood-stained’ clothes. Tension prevailed as they protested inside and outside the council.

The first phase of the protest unfolded ahead of the council meeting, with Opposition leader Rajan J. Pallan leading Congress councillors in a symbolic ‘blood bath’. The protestors poured red-coloured liquid over their bodies to represent blood and staged a sit-in in front of the Mayor’s chamber.

The demonstration aimed to highlight the recent tragic accidents caused by broken, poorly maintained roads across the city. Placards bore images of victim Vishnudath of Udayanagar, who died after a private bus ran over him while he swerved to avoid a gutter on MG Road. Another placard featured a couple who recently fell into an open drain at Kolothumpadam. “Forgive us, Vishnudath,” read one of the boards, pointing to the civic body’s alleged failure in ensuring road safety.

Soon after this symbolic protest, the councillors, still in their red-stained attire, marched into the council meeting and raised the issue inside the hall. The discussion quickly turned raucous as the Congress members demanded an urgent debate on the road conditions. As tempers flared, they climbed onto desks and began shouting slogans with a wreath in hand. They alleged that the pathetic city road shows the negligence of the administration.

The scene reached a crescendo when the protestors warned that they will place the wreath on the Mayor’s chair, if he dismissed the council meeting without discussing the issue. However, the ruling front alleged that the gesture was a direct threat against the Mayor.

Mayor M. K Varghese suspended 10 Congress councillors, including Rajan Pallan, from attending the next two council sessions. The ruling LDF termed the protest “unprecedented and provocative,” with some even accusing the Congress of issuing veiled death threats against the Mayor by placing a wreath on his seat.

The Congress dismissed the allegations, insisting the protest was symbolic and non-violent. “The Congress will intensify protest inside and outside the council if murder case was not filed against the Mayor and the secretary in the recent death in the city due to poor condition of the roads,” said Mr. Rajan Pallan.