The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by around 30 Dalit organisations has hit life across Kerala, with violence being reported from many places and the police arresting several supporters all over the State.
At many places, the hartal supporters blocked vehicles and forced closure of shops. Private buses remained off the roads in most places with very few buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) plying. The police arrested M. Geethanandan, convener of the Dalit-Adivasi Action Council, at Kochi, accusing him of having blocked vehicle traffic.
In the State capital, government offices functioned with skeletal staff. Shops on the arterial MG Road remain closed. At Kollam and Thrissur, the hartal supporters pelted stones at KSRTC buses. In the State capital, there was an altercation between traders and the hartal supporters who tried to force closure of shops at the normally busy Chalai market. The KSRTC was forced to suspend services from the Thampanoor central bus terminal after operating the services for sometime in the morning.
The Dalit-Adivasi Action Council has in its fold organisations such as the the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGM), Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Kerala Cheraman Sanghom, Pombilai Orumai, Sambavar Mahasabha, Chengara Action Council, Arippa Land Agitation Action Council, Kerala Dalit Federation (KDF), etc.
