The State-wide hartal called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in protest against the murder of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist in Thiruvananthapuram, threw life out of gear in Kochi city and its immediate suburbs on Sunday.
Public transport, including buses, taxis and autorickshaws, stayed off the road, putting those arriving to and departing from the city, mostly by trains, to immense hardship. Only a few private vehicles could be spotted on roads. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operated a few services in the morning, but cancelled all services from 9 a.m. onwards. The protests did not affect the operation of the Kochi metro rail, and people arrived in large numbers for a ride along the elevated tracks.
The city police operated circular services for those stranded at railway stations and bus stands. The usually crowded KSRTC bus stand, Ernakulam, and the Vyttila mobility hub wore a deserted look throughout the day.
Uneasy calm
A large number of policemen were deployed at major points across the city to prevent any untoward incident. An uneasy calm prevailed in the city till afternoon as a confrontation between the protesters and the police loomed large.
In the morning, the protesters blocked vehicles at various locations including Kalamassery, Thripunithura and Vyttila. The Thoppumpady junction witnessed some tense moments when protesters attempted to forcibly shut down a fuel outlet but the police defused the tension. Almost all shops and establishments remain shut. The usually bustling shopping malls were no exception either. People had a difficult time on the road as hotels remained closed.
Hundreds of party supporters took part in a protest march taken out by the BJP from the Town Hall to High Court Junction.
