Alappuzha, Jan 9: The houseboat of Nobel Laureate Michael Levitt was blocked in the backwaters here for some time by trade union activists, who were on a nationwide strike against the Centre's "anti-labour" policies on Wednesday.
Michael Levitt, an American-British-Israeli biophysicist and a professor of structural biology at the Stanford University in the United States, said the incident sent a bad message to tourists.
Levitt, who was in Kerala as a state guest, also said he felt as if a bandit had stopped his wife and him at gunpoint. Police said Levitt, who received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was in Alappuzha with his wife and they were stopped by the protesters near Kainakary.
"Being stopped by criminals on the backwaters sends a very bad message to tourists. It is as if a bandit stopped us at gunpoint and delayed us under the threat of force for one hour," Levitt wrote in an email to his tour agent at Kottayam.
In the email, which was later released to the media, he also said the person who blocked them "ignored all arguments that tourists were exempted" from the strike.
"This person, who did this, ignored all arguments that tourists were exempted and that I am a VIP guest of the Kerala government. He was obviously acting, knowing that he was safe from prosecution. Sadly, this makes me fear that India is sinking into lawlessness," Levitt wrote in the email.
The police registered a case after the houseboat owners filed a complaint in this regard.
Reacting to the incident, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the government would take strong action. "Strong action will be taken against those anti-social elements who stopped the boat. Levitt was here as a guest of the state government. The government had made it clear that the tourism industry was exempted from the strike," he said.
Trade union leaders had also announced that the strike would not affect the tourism industry.
Ten trade unions, including the INTUC, the AITUC and the CITU, had called for the nationwide strike to protest against the labour reforms, FDI, disinvestment, corporatisation and privatisation policies of the Centre and press for a 12-point demands of the working class, relating to minimum wage, among others.
Comments
whatever going on in the Dargah is against the teaching of islam and definately Allah hates this. Its unfortunate that people of fighting for power and unnecesary things. They are giving importance to not required customs which are not advised in islam. Few people are running dargah as business to make money. Its unfortunate that common people are getting fooled.
It is responsibility of waqf board and local MLA to bring peace in Ullal before some one get killed.
Let all elected representative sit together elect one as president who has majority.
It is easy job but some unseen hands playing behind the scene.
I request UTK to show the leadership before some one get killed.Just he need to do is tell both fraction that those who get majority will be president.
health minister's city became unhealthy goon's city
whats going on, fighting with own people this must be stopped immediately, it makes our rival to go out strong.
There is no difference between dargah and temple. Both make pooja by offering flower etc. Both make jathre(Uroos). Both make nerche (Harake). In islam no where taught like this. This fight is only for money.
koora and SSF's Dirty Game
fighting for dargha's authority, it defines u,
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