Wed Oct 22 11:51:42 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, formatted for a general audience:
Headline: Violent Clash Erupts at Poultry Waste Plant Protest in Kozhikode; Police Launch Investigation
Kozhikode, India – October 22, 2025 – A protest against a private poultry waste rendering unit in Ambayathode, near Thamarassery in Kozhikode, turned violent on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, resulting in injuries to police officers and significant property damage.
Police have identified and booked 321 individuals suspected of playing key roles in the clash at the plant. The investigation is being led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Yathish Chandra, with a special squad working to identify further suspects through surveillance footage analysis.
According to authorities, the violence erupted when police attempted to disperse a crowd protesting the alleged environmental pollution caused by the rendering plant. Superintendent of Police K.E. Baiju was among the officers injured in the melee. Initial estimates put the total damages at ₹5 crore.
DIG Chandra has described the incident as an “organized attack” on police, alleging that protesters used women and children as human shields. He pledged a thorough, scientific investigation. Police report that 16 officers, including the Station House Officer of Thamarassery police station, sustained serious injuries.
Investigators, including Inspector General of Police Rajpal Meena, have inspected the crime scene, gathering evidence and reviewing CCTV footage. Police say that ten vehicles, including trucks, auto-rickshaws, and motorcycles, were set on fire, with many others damaged by stone pelting and vandalism. Cases have been registered under Sections 109 (attempts to murder) and 191 (rioting) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Leaders of the protest’s action committee have condemned the police response, accusing the DIG of attempting to portray the protest as an “organized crime” to suppress a six-year-long agitation and to target innocent people. They deny the claim that women and children were used as shields.
Police, however, assert that masked agitators intentionally set the factory building and vehicles ablaze while laborers were inside. They further claim that video evidence shows deliberate attempts to obstruct fire engines from reaching the scene and to endanger police officers attempting to maintain order. The investigation is ongoing.
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