The Statewide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi on Thursday was marred by incidents of violence and clashes in different parts of the district.
The hartal was near total in Kannur and it paralysed normal life.
Shops and commercial establishments remained closed and public transport, including KSRTC buses, were off the road. Police vehicles were used to help stranded passengers at the Kannur railway station.
Clash at Thalassery
Supporters and opponents of the hartal clashed near Thalassery. Country-made bombs were exploded in the clashes.
The police said an unexploded country-made bomb hurled during the clash at Kolassery near Thalassery was removed and defused by the bomb disposal squad of the police.
Bombs were also exploded at nearby Ayodhya Nagar and Kallayitheru. Kolavallur, near Panur, also saw clashes during the day.
Two KSRTC buses were damaged near Payyannur. The driver of one of the buses, identified as Balakrishnan, suffered injuries when hartal supporters hurled stones at the bus.
A vehicle of the Thanalveedu Charitable Trust was attacked at Thalikkavu near the district office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the morning.
The vehicle was on its way to take a staff of the trust when it came under attack. The vehicle was completely damaged.
Two goods autos of the Chirakkal panchayat were also damaged by hartal supporters late last night. The panchayat office also suffered damages in stone-pelting.
A restaurant near the Kannur railway station was damaged by hartal supporters in the morning.
BJP workers arrested
The police arrested 26 BJP workers in connection with the incidents during the hartal and 14 of them had been remanded.
A total of 12 cases were registered by the police on charges of rioting and attacks at Kannur town area.
The BJP said the house of party district secretary N. Haridas at Thalassery came under bomb attack. The party would observe a protest day on Friday to protest against the incidents of attacks on BJP-RSS workers.
