Kottayam (Kerala), Jan 9 (TIWN) The Kerala Police on Thursday arrested four workers of the state's ruling CPI-(M)-affiliated trade union CITU for preventing the state guests - Nobel laureate Micheal Levitt and his wife - from proceeding onwards on their houseboat journey near here.

The incident happened on Wednesday during the countrywide protest strike called by 10 central trade unions and other independent labour associations.  The four arrested in the state all hail from Pulimkunnu near Kottayam and allegedly stopped Levitt's houseboat from moving forward.  This incident has generated lot of negative for the state, as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leaders had assured the state government that the tourism industry had been exempted from the nationwide protest strike call.  On Thursday, as he was leaving the tourist centre, the 72-year-old 2013 Nobel laureate told the media that Kerala is a beautiful and wonderful place without saying a word about his interrupted houseboat journey.