more-in An outlet of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) at Karunagapally that was shifted from the side of the National Highway to an interior location on the outskirts of the town had to be closed on Saturday following protests by local residents led by CPI leader and Karunagapally MLA R. Ramachandran. It was the Bevco outlet that was shifted from Lalaji Junction to Kallelibhagam Maliyekkal Junction which faced the wrath of local residents. The MLA’s support to the protest was also being interpreted by some quarters as a reflection of the rift in the LDF between the CPI and the CPI(M). It was on April 15 that the outlet was shifted to Maliyekkal Junction to operate from a space within the warehousing corporation godown. It led to a heavy rush there since most of the Bevco outlets around Karunagapally had to be closed down. When the situation became a nuisance for those residing in the area, they launched a protest. Mr. Ramachandran justified his support to the protest saying that opening the outlet in a thickly populated area would create law and order problems. As the protesters comprising women and children refused to budge even after the arrival of the police, the local authorities arrived at the scene and issued a stop memo to the outlet. But the outlet manager refused to accept the memo. It was then pasted on the outer wall of the outlet. After that, the manager closed the outlet after which the protesters dispersed.

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