Tension prevailed in Cheruvathur where senior RSS and BJP leaders, including party State general secretary K. Surendran, were arrested when they resorted to a National Highway blockade to protest attack by CPI(M) activists on BJP workers in the town late on Monday evening.
The BJP has called for a day-long hartal in the district on Tuesday, party sources here said.
The police lobbed smoke grenades to disperse warring groups as they resorted to stone-pelting while the road blockade was on, police sources said.
Among the arrested are RSS activist Valsan Thillankeri; BJP district president K. Sreekanth; party joint Secretary K. Velayudhan besides BJP State council member Raveesha Thantri Kundar.
The BJP leaders resorted to the blockade to protest against the alleged attack by CPI(M) workers in the traditionally Left stronghold when the Sangh Parivar workers were returning after taking part in the ‘Swathanthra Samrakshana Padayathra’ meeting held at Cheemeni.
Earlier in the day, tension prevailed in the locality as the BJP workers took out a 10-km march from Cheruvathur to Cheemeni to take part in a party meeting. At least three BJP activists suffered injuries in the incident.
The meeting convened on Monday at Cheemeni follows a similar incident at a public function addressed by Bharatiya Janata SC-ST Morcha President P.R. Sudhir Kumar on December 21. A group of alleged CPI(M) workers had attacked BJP workers who took part in the political meeting held on the day.
Senior BJP leader P. K. Krishnadas, who had visited the district on December 22, had then warned that the BJP would convene similar meeting at Cheemeni.
