The Angamaly Firing was an incident that took place in Angamaly, Kerala, on June 13, 1959, when police opened fire on protesters who had been demonstrating against Kerala's communist government. Seven people were killed resulting in the intensification of Vimochana Samaram, a protest against the then communist led government.
Contents |
The Communist Government infuriated over the popular revolt demanding better governance gave the police strict orders to suppress all the protests at any cost, they started firing against unarmed innocents who marched towards the police station to inquire about a missing person. 7 people were killed in the firing - people from the Mattoor, Kyppattoor and Kottamam parishes of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam.
On the next day - Sunday 14 June, the dead bodies were taken to the nearby town of Kalady accompanied by a huge crowd and buried at the Cemetery of the Angamaly Forone Church. This event enraged the people of Kerala and intensified the Vimochana Samaram. Following this, the EMS government was dismissed and the state placed under President's rule pending elections. The Communist Party was routed in the re-election that followed.
The fiftieth anniversary of the firing was observed with a ceremony at the St. George Forane Church in Angamaly on June 14, 2009. Among the attendees were survivors of the incident, some of whom had been injured or imprisoned in its aftermath. Prayers were said over the graves of the seven victims.[1]