Minor clashes between members of different unions marked the first day of the indefinite strike taken out by autorickshaw drivers in the city.
A skirmish broke out between members of rival unions at Palarivattom junction around 10 a.m. on Thursday. The protesters stopped an autorickshaw not participating in the protest that was passing through the junction. They forced out the passengers from the vehicle. The driver of the autorickshaw got into an argument with the protesters and the police were called in. Similar scenes took place in various parts of the city. Office-bearers of the district unit of the CITU said no government authority had come forward to hold discussions on the matter. Two police officials were suspended pending an inquiry following arguments between media persons and policemen at the Palarivattom police station.
The altercation began when striking autorickshaw drivers pulled passengers out of an autorickshaw that was operating on Thursday morning. The protesters then turned on television news reporters and crew who were filming the incident and the argument escalated into pushes and shoves. Five media persons were injured in the incident.
