The Hindu : Hartal total, peaceful

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Hartal total, peaceful

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM March 11. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) sponsored hartal demanding a judicial probe into the police action against adivasis in Muthanga was near total in the district and generally peaceful.

In the city, an ambulance carrying doctors and medical staff, including women, were stopped by hartal supporters in front of the Government Secretariat at around 12 p.m. The hartal supporters attempted to pry open the ambulance door. A few reached inside the ambulance through the windows and assaulted the occupants of the van. Some LDF leaders near the shed where four Opposition MLAs are on a fast prevented the belligerent activists from unleashing further violence.

In a statement here, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that the police did not come to the rescue of the occupants of the van, though a large force was watching the incident. The IMA has petitioned the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, and the Director General of Police (DGP), K. J. Joseph, to take stringent action against those responsible for the incident. The Cantonment police have registered a case in this connection. However, none have been arrested so far.

The hartal supporters also stopped an autorickshaw in front of the Secretariat and assaulted the driver after asking the passengers to get out of the vehicle. The police have registered a case of simple assault on the basis of the complaint given by the driver.

In Vattiyoorkavu, hartal supporters threatened violence against one George Joseph who opened his grocery shop in the morning. The Vattiyoorkavu police arrested a CPI worker, Mohanan, in connection with the hartal. Police removed several roadblocks created by hartal supporters by placing stones, tree-trunks and iron-posts on the road.

The city wore a deserted look with almost all commercial establishments, shops and hotels remaining closed. Private buses, autorickshaws, taxis, private cars and KSRTC buses remained off the road. Two-wheelers plied as usual. Attendance was low at Government offices. Police patrolling was intense on city roads through out the day and police pickets could be seen at key junctions and sensitive areas in the city.

Police said that the burning of two Government cars by SFI activists in front of the University College and the student violence on Monday could have had a impact on the hartal. Police said there have been no reports of private vehicles being damaged or students stopped from writing the ICSE and CBSE examinations in the city.

The hartal was by and large peaceful in the rural district. The hartal supporters had created roadblocks on the National Highway at Kazhakottam and near Neyyatinkara. The police removed these blocks in the wee hours.

At Pozhiyoor, police arrested 12 DYFI workers who attempted to close down the branch of the local cooperative bank, which had opened for business on hartal day. Shops, hotels, business establishments in the rural area remained closed. Traffic on the roads was restricted to an occasional two-wheeler.

In the morning, LDF supporters led by the CITU leader, P. K. Gurudasan, took out a march to the Government Secretariat demanding a probe into the Muthanga incident. Addressing the protesters, Mr. Gurudasan blamed the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, for the situation and said that the hartal could have been avoided had the Government opted to order a judicial enquiry into the incident.

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