Cultural symbol: The district administration clamped restrictions on public programmes after the renovated S.M. Street was thrown open to the public. | Photo Credit: K_RAGESH more-in Left-leaning cultural and political groups are planning an ‘Occupy S.M. Street’ programme on October 19 in protest against the ban enforced by the district administration on public programmes in and around S.M. Street. A decision to this effect was taken at a convention held here on Tuesday. Rajeesh Kollakkandy, one of the organisers of the event, told The Hindu that people from different walks of life who had been associated with the street for long, such as actor and filmmaker Joy Mathew, trade union leader A. Vasu and freedom fighter Thayat Balan, would be roped in for the programme. ‘Nerve centre of city’ Those who spoke at the convention on Tuesday, such as activist K. Ajitha, academic Azad, and poet Kalpetta Narayanan, pointed out that S.M. Street was literally the nerve centre of Kozhikode and its most visible cultural symbol. It had been a venue for numerous socio-cultural programmes and agitations for long. Denying people the right to assemble there was akin to sounding its death knell, they pointed out. Demonstration held Cultural activists belonging to various groups had recently staged a demonstration on S.M. Street after street singer Babu Sankar was asked by the police not to perform there. The district administration clamped restrictions on public programmes a couple of weeks after the renovated street was thrown open to the public. Sit-in, street plays Mr. Kollakkandy said the protest on October 19 would be held between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Activists would stage a sit-in around the S.K. Square. Street plays and music programmes would be held and a procession would be taken out.

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