Leaders of opposition parties staged a road blockade opposite Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital at Asaripallam here on Saturday, raising slogans against the ruling party and the district administration for their failure to safeguard the life of Gandhian and anti-liquor crusader Sasi Perumal while he was staging a protest atop a mobile phone tower at Marthandam near here on Friday.
Cutting across party lines, leaders of opposition parties staged an agitation for about half- an-hour forcing Collector Sajjansingh R. Chavan to leave his car on the road and get into the hospital campus by walk.
Those who had participated in the road blockade were Colachel Congress MLA J.G. Prince; former MLA and Tamil Maanila Congress leader Kumaradoss; Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary N. Murugesan; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam district secretary Thillai Selvam; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam district secretary N. Suresh Rajan, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi district secretary Pagalavan and Bharatiya Janata Party district president R. Ganesan.
After the road blockade, the leaders met the Collector and held talks with him. They urged him to close down all Tasmac-run IMFL retail outlets near educational institutions and places of worship. Mr. Chavan asked them to give a list of such shops and assured to shift them within two months.
Later, the leaders held discussions and decided to shut down all shops and business establishments on August 4 (Tuesday) to press the government to implement total prohibition in the State.
Shops down shutters
Meanwhile, as a mark of paying homage to Sasi Perumal, all shops and commercial establishments had downed shutters here on Saturday.
