Trivandrum: The air was rife with tension even before the sun dawned on Vilappilsala Grama Panchayath. The official news was that the first of the waste carrying trucks would be heading to the waste treatment factory on Monday, anytime between 11 and 5 during the day. The thousands of protesters were ready, rejuvenated at the opportunity to show how firm they really were on winning their rights. It was the day of the people at Vilappilsala Grama Panchayath, as arrests and grenades failed to make way for the trucks of garbage to pass through the human wall.

The protest, which ran for hours, saw many dramatic moments including the arrest and removal of Panchayath President Shobhana Kumari. The police seemed visibly ill equipped to handle the situation, as there wasn't even sufficient number of female police officers at the spot to arrest and remove the female protesters. Down the road, stones were hurled at the trucks and at the police who stood guard to the trucks. In retaliation, the police resorted to lathicharge and at times used smoke grenades to disperse the crowd, which was on its way to turning into a mob. Various people were injured in the violence, including Panchayath Member Biju.

The process of arresting and removing protesters was obviously never going to work as the people -ranging in age from six to sixty - had arrived in thousands. In the end, at around three in the afternoon, the armored personnel in uniform were instructed to turn back, bringing on cheers from all across the gathered thousands.