The State-wide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Finance Minister K.M. Mani in the wake of allegations of acceptance of bribe in the bar licensing issue, was total and passed off peacefully in the district.
No untoward incident was reported from anywhere including the rural belts in the district. A large posse of policemen was deployed in the riot-hit Nadapuram and its adjoining belts in Vadakara and Edacherry.
The police had clamped prohibitory orders under Section 78 (Regulation to prevent violence) and Section 79 (Regulation of public assemblies) of the Kerala Police Act in view of the volatile situation prevailing in the rural regions.
This was following the murder of a murder of a Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activist by an armed gang at Thooneri, near Nadapuram, last week.
Private buses, autorickshaws and taxis kept off the road. However, private vehicles including four-wheelers plied in the city and other mofussil towns. Vehicles proceeding to airport were seen on the National Highway.
KSRTC schedules
The State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operated just eight schedules from the Kozhikode depot to Kasaragod, Mangalore and Thottilpalam. It cancelled the inter-State buses to Mysore and Bangalore in the morning.
Two buses operated on a convey basis to Sulthan Bathery in the morning and noon. Normal services resumed from evening.
The KSRTC normally operates over 200 buses from Kozhikode.
There was no disruption of train services. But passengers who arrived at the railway stations had a difficult time to reach their destinations especially to the interiors of the district and city suburbs. Many were seen hitchhiking on motorbikes. The police also assisted the stranded commuters at the stations by taking them in their vehicles.
Commercial establishments and hotels remained closed although some tea-shops functioned on the wayside. By evening, department stores and supermarkets opened. Banks did not transact businesses.
Attendances at government offices were reported to be unusually low. The District Collectorate and the taluk offices at Vadakara, Koyilandy and Thamarassery wore a deserted look. Village offices and quasi-government departments faced a similar situation. The Corporation office was no different. Many had taken leave as the hartal was called a week in advance.
Educational institutions including professional colleges declared a holiday in view of the hartal. Medical shops were open throughout the day.
Hartal supporters took out marches at various places in the district seeking the Finance Minister’s resignation.
