CCTV Footage that Captures the Violence at Kerala Airport

mangaloretoday.com

Kozhikode, June 11:  CCTV footage shown by regional television channels gives glimpses of the violence that flared up last night at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport after a personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force, or CISF, was killed during an argument with the airport personnel.

 

The clash had led to a 10-hour shutdown at the Karipur International airport and air traffic had resumed only this morning.

The CCTV footage showed the riot-like situation that followed after gunshots were heard which had killed the jawan. The CISF jawans and the airport fire officials gathered in knots and then the had vandalism started.

In the footage, CISF men can be seen going on a rampage, pulling down pictures from walls and kicking down windows. Others move around, carrying batons. Some rush in from time to time, breaking furniture.

The fire officials had then blocked the runways, which stopped the air traffic till 8 am today.

Officers of the Kerala police told NDTV that it took nearly three hours to disarm the CISF men, who had become extremely agitated.

Senior CISF officials, however, have denied the involvement of any of their personnel in the rampage.

The jawan was killed reportedly after an argument with an official of the fire department of Airport Authority of India. He had reportedly asked AAI official Sunny Thomas to undergo security clearance, which led to an argument. In the violence that followed, the jawan received gunshot injuries and died.

Mr Thomas had said he had come to the airport to take an injured colleague to hospital when he was attacked by CISF personnel. "I was kicked, beaten up... they threatened to shoot," he had told television channels.

CISF officials, however, told NDTV that it was a group of fire department personnel who came in trucks and tried to attack the jawan, who was only "trying to do his duty".