The dawn-to-dusk Statewide hartal called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday was total in the district. Incidents of sporadic violence were reported from the city and other parts of the district.
The public transport vehicles remained off the roads. Educational institutions, banks, commercial establishments, public markets, restaurants, and shopping malls remained closed.
Tension gripped the Chamakada area of the city in the morning when a group of hartal supporters made attempts to close the public market. Traders opposed the move and it led to minor scuffles. Later, when a march taken out by the BJP activists passed through the market area, a group of people threw stones at them. In the ensuing melee, an autorickshaw parked by the roadside was damaged by the hartal supporters. Police quickly intervened and brought the situation under control.
There was minor violence at the Bishop Jerome Nagar shopping complex when hartal supporters forcefully closed the Kollam main branch of State Bank of Travancore. Hatral supporters also forced employees present at the Kilikollur section office of the Kerala State Electricty Board (KSEB) to close the office and leave the premises.
At Thazhava near Karunagapally, hartal supporters attacked and damaged the car of the superintendent of the Amrita Ayurveda Medical College Hospital. The incident happened around 5.30 a.m. when the doctor was on his way to the hospital.
Hartal supporters attacked three Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] activists at Chathannur. A protest march was staged through the town by the CPI(M).
The police have registered a case against 30 BJP activists in connection with the incident. Hartal-related violence was also reported from Puthur, Paravur, Kottiyam, Bharanikavu, East Kallada, and Karunagapally.
Clash with police
Special Correspondent writes from Pathanamthitta: The hartal was total in the district.
The attempt to forcibly close down certain offices at the Revenue Tower in Adoor by the hartal-supporters led to minor clashes with the police. The window panes at the entrance of the Revenue Tower were broken in the stone-throwing incident.
Sangh Parivar organisations staged a joint march in Pathanamthitta town. BJP district unit president Ashokan Kulanada inaugurated the march.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in most parts of the district, including remote areas.
Motor vehicles, except those carrying marriage parties and hospital-bound patients, kept off the roads. Two-wheelers, too, were rarely seen.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation did not operate services from any of its depots in the district till 6 p.m.
Government offices and banks recorded a lean attendance as a good number of employees could not reach their work places.
Normal life hit
Special Correspondent writes from Alappuzha: The hartal hit normal life in Alappuzha.
Tourism sector was the worst hit as transportation facilities were unavailable. Houseboats were anchored at various locations, suffering losses at peak tourism season. BJP activists took out a march in the morning in support of the hartal, which was marked by minor incidents at a few places. An ambulance was stopped by pro-hartal activists at Cherthala, sources said.
Two cameramen of local news channels, Unmesh and Manoj, were attacked by the activists at Cherthala. The Alappuzha district unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists condemned the incident.
Market vandalised
Special Correspondent writes from Kottayam:
Normal life was affected as offices, shops, and schools remained closed and barring a few two-wheelers and private cars, vehicles remained off the road. Government offices functioned with a skeletal staff.
Meanwhile, the police have reported sporadic violence from across the district. Hartal supporters vandalised a makeshift vegetable shop , reportedly owned by a CPI(M) supporter in the market area in the town and later brought down a CPI(M) flagstaff at Thirunakkara. There was widespread destruction of flex boards installed by the party. The hartal supporters also engaged in a fracas with the police in the town. Two photo journalists, who were trying to take pictures of the BJP action at the market, were attacked and injured by the activists.
Meanwhile, the BJP district office was vandalised, reportedly by CPI(M) followers that resulted in the BJP activists taking out a march towards the CPI(M) district committee office in the town.
However, they were stopped by the police midway at Thirunakkara.
Hartal supporters threw stones at the police in Pala, where they were chased away by the police. The police were trying to make way for a private vehicle.
Workers of the two parties entered fisticuffs at Ponkunnam following the destruction of a flag staff by BJP activists. According to the police, at least one person was injured in the melee. Hartal supporters took out protest marches at Kottayam town and several other points in the district.
Tourists face hardships
A Correspondent writes from Idukki: Isolated incidents of violance marked the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on Thursday.
The hartal was total in the district and private and KSRTC buses kept off the roads. However, a few private vehicles were seen on the roads. Hartal supporters blocked the vehicles at junctions. Shops and business establishments remained closed and there was a holiday for educational institutions.
Hartal supporters forcefully entered the District Labour Office at Thodupuzha and damaged window panes and chairs, besides destroying files. One person was arrested in connection with the case, said the police.
Hartal supporters marched to the police station and shouted slogans. They held a sit-in in front of the police station. At Marayur, BJP activists who blocked the road damaged an autorickshaw. A case was registered in this regard. Vehicles carrying workers to the cardamom plantations from the border areas of Tamil Nadu did not arrive and workers in the tea and cardamom plantations did not work. There was only thin attendance at government offices.
The hartal also affected the tourist towns of Kumily and Thekkady. Private taxis did not operate services and passengers were held up at the border town of Kumily.
