The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Muslim Ekopana Samiti, a joint organisation of different Muslim outfits, in protest against the alleged police action against its volunteers, evoked a mixed response in the district on Tuesday.
Vehicular traffic was near-normal in the city, although the majority of private buses kept off the road. It was business as usual for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which operated its normal schedule from the various depots, in addition to long-haul services.
Several shops and other establishments, including petrol pumps, remained closed for most part of the day. The hartal did not affect the functioning of offices both in the government and private sectors, which witnessed normal attendance.
Meanwhile, most educational institutions in the district remained closed. Most of the drug stores were closed as were restaurants, primarily owing to a State-wide shutter-down strike against the move to impose Goods and Services Tax (GST) on hotels.
The city police had stepped up security in view of the hartal and policemen were posted in key areas in the city.
The hartal, which was restricted to certain pockets in the district, was devoid of any major incident of violence except for attempts to block vehicles at Palarivattom, Thoppumpady, Aluva and Muvattupuzha.
The Muvattupuzha police registered a case against protesters for attempting to enforce the hartal by blocking vehicles and damaging an autorickshaw. However, no arrests were made in this connection.
An uneasy calm prevailed in various parts of the rural district till afternoon as a confrontation between the protesting activists and the police loomed large. Activists of the Muslim Ekopana Samiti, which called the strike, staged demonstrations at various places, including Aluva and Perumbavoor.
The hartal was called in protest against the alleged police lathi-charge of its activists during a march taken out to the High Court on Monday to protest against a court order nullifying the marriage of a woman who had converted to Islam.
Based on a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of the girl, a Division Bench of the High Court had last week declared null and void the marriage of Hadiya, who converted to Islam and got married to Shafin Jahan in December 2006.
