The total shutdown called by Tamil Ezha Viduthalaikana Kootamaippu (TEVK), a confederation of almost 20 organisations, in Tirupur city and its immediate suburbs on Thursday, evoked poor response from traders and business fraternity.
The agitation was called to press the demand for India’s boycott of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka this month in protest against the alleged killings of civilian Tamils by the Sri Lankan Army.
Almost all shops and establishments in Tirupur city functioned and the production went uninterrupted in the textile units in Tirupur knitwear cluster.
A few shops remained shut in certain places mostly because that the people employed in it were yet to return after going for Deepavali vacation to their native towns situated in other districts.
Traffic was normal and public transport buses carried out services without any interruption.
The police, however, did not take any chances and conducted patrolling in sensitive areas in the wake of the attack on Rajiv Gandhi statue at Thirumuruganpoondi near here on Wednesday. Two persons belonging to Naam Tamil Katchi, a constituent organisation of the TEVK, were arrested by Anupparpalayam police in connection with that incident.
