The day-long hartal, organised both by the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to caution the Centre against steady increase in petroleum products prices on Monday, brought life to a virtual standstill across the district.
The bandh call that followed after two consecutive holidays upset the schedules of people with all modes of public transport keeping off the roads.
Stranded
While skeletal number of private vehicles were seen plying on the roads, people remained stranded at important railway and bus stations in the district.
Police officers, however, provided helping hand by transporting stranded persons to their offices and other destinations.
Only 53 out of 164 Revenue department staff at the District Collectorate here could report for duty while the rest had to remain indoors, sources at the Collectorate here said.
The hartal supporters were seen engaged in heated altercations with passengers in private vehicles. QUite a few of these vehicles were waylaid.
Glass panes broken
Some protesters even smashed glass panes of two cars at Neeleshwaram and Manjeshwaram and attacked a motorcycle rider at Manjeshwaram for plying their vehicles on the hartal day, a senior police official here said.
No major untoward incidents were reported elsewhere in the district.
The protesters also forced shut down head post offices in Kasaragod and Kanhangad and the telephone bhavan in Kanhangad as well thereby disrupting the payment of telephone bills.
Poor business
Anticipating trouble and poor business turnover, most shops and business houses remained closed all through the day while people by and large opted to confine themselves indoors.
The protesters also staged marches in major towns cautioning the BJP-led NDA government against unprecedented hike in prices of petroleum products.
