KOZHIKODE: Despite the deployment of a strong police contingent in the city, supporters of the UDF-sponsored hartal on Monday forcibly downed shutters of several shops and business firms. Vehicles were waylaid near the Railway Station Link Road and Vandipetta area on Kannur Road.
The protesters did not spare the offices of the Life Insurance Corporation of India and the State Bank of India either. An Akshaya office was also shut as hartal supporters stormed the scene. However, the gangs left the scene on arrival of the town police. Meanwhile, the BJP accused Congress workers of destroying their posters and banners.
At Meenchanda, attempts by UDF supporters to block two-wheelers resulted in a scuffle. Traffic was resumed in the area on the intervention of a police squad from Feroke station. In Mukkom too, UDF sympathisers blocked vehicles and locked horns with the police.
However, the operation of some regular services by the KSRTC with police escort turned out to be a saving grace. The number of passengers stranded at bus and railway stations was minimal, as the KSRTC conducted services to all major locations. Though the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti (KVVES) had earlier called upon its members to reject the hartal call and open shops, only a few shops remained open in the district. Cashing in on the situation, several traders joined a pleasure trip organised by the Samiti.
Meanwhile, UDF leaders claimed that the hartal was a success in the district. No major clashes were reported from the district, they said.
