The headquarters of Kerala's alleged scandal-hit Consumerfed here today witnessed unruly scenes as various sections of slogan shouting employees clashed at its premises when a crucial director board meeting of the society was underway.
At one point of time, police was forced to resort to lathicharge to disperse the violent employees supporting Consumerfed President Joy Thomas and those supporting demand for an independent probe to unearth alleged corruption under present dispensation.
Some reporters covering the event were also caught in the melee and suffered injuries during lathicharge.
Interestingly, both INTUC and CITU took a common official position supporting Consumerfed president Joy Thomas and raised slogans in his favour. They even locked the gate from inside to stop those employees opposing from entering the office.
However, many of their members took a different position and shouted slogans demanding an independent probe into the alleged corruption in the Kerala State Co-operatives Consumers' Federation Ltd (Consumerfed) which is the apex body of the consumer Co-operatives in the state.
Meanwhile, the director board meeting of the Consumerfed saw a strong division between two sections of the Congress-- one headed by President Joy Thomas, a key member of the Congress "I" group, and another led by board member Satheesan Pacheni, a leader of Congress's 'A' group.
At the meeting, Thomas rejected a report on corruption in the society prepared by a sub-committee headed by Pacheni, alleging that it was a biased one.
Later talking to reporters, Pacheni alleged that honest officials have been "smoked out" from the society.
The issues at Consumerfed grabbed public attention after Senior IPS officer Tomin J Thachankary reportedly took certain steps against such alleged practices when he was the Managing Director of the society.
A section of Consumerfed workers had protested when Thachankary was transferred from there charging he was removed for voicing concerns over alleged corrupt practices in the society.
