The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Friday in protest against the attack on the CPI(M) district committee office was marked by stray incidents of violence.
The CPI(M) and BJP workers clashed on the streets, prompting the police to act tough.
In Balussery, irate CPI(M) and BJP workers were engaged in a scuffle for hours. The police fired tear gas to disperse the workers. Some of the activists were detained.
Several private cars and autorickshaws were blocked though it had been announced earlier that vehicles would not be stopped during the hartal. Only the Kerala State Road Transportation Corporation was allowed to operate a few services.
Some CPI(M) workers pelted stones at commercial establishments and forced several firms to down shutters. The situation in the district remained volatile as supporters of the hartal constantly targeted offices of the BJP and its feeder organisations, fuelling counter-attacks. The local processions of both the parties targeted rivals and their offices.
LDF activists vandalised the offices of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, alleging that the steel bomb attack against the CPI(M)’s Kozhikode district office was spearheaded by BJP activists. They also claimed that CPI(M) district secretary P. Mohanan was the target of the attackers.
The BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh observed a hartal in the Assembly constituencies of Vadakara, Nadapuram, Koyilandy, Kuttiyadi and Perambra, alleging that the CPI(M) was trying to instigate violence. They alleged that the RSS office in Vadakara was attacked by the CPI(M) activists to kindle political tension.
The LDF leaders have alleged that the BJP and RSS were in a bid to eliminate all those who stood up against fascist forces and tried to guard democratic values.
