KASARGOD: The BJP's hartal in the district turned violent and caused widespread destruction of public and private property at several places, while the shutdown was defied in CPM bastions on Tuesday.
The BJP called on a dawn-to-dusk hartal to protest against alleged lack of political freedom and violence perpetrated by the CPM in Kasargod.
According to police, stones were thrown at CPM local committee office, shops and vehicles. The police bus taking employees from the railway station to the collectorate and the Armed Reserve Camp was stopped and sent back by hartal supporters. A car going towards Churi in Madhur Panchayat, a BJP bastion, was vandalised.
Fuel tankers and other commercial trucks were lined up on either side of the National Highway from Manjeshwaram to Kasargod.
Around 10:30 AM, BJP activists, led by state vice-president K P Sreeshan, took out a procession in Kasargod town. They waylaid the police bus with government employees and despite consistent attempts of the police to negotiate with them, the vehicle was not allowed to pass.
As the procession circumambulated the town, the protesters forced all the banks on the way to down the shutters. Stones were thrown at CPM's local committee office on MG Road, Indian Coffee House, and a CPM-controlled service co-operative bank. A medical laboratory at Pilikkunnu was vandalised and some private vehicles too were damaged by violent protesters. The billboards set up by other political parties were also taken down.
As violence spread, the police baton charged the vandals. One BJP worker was injured in the attack.
Cheruvathur defies hartal
Cheruvathur, where the BJP march came under attack on Monday, defied the hartal and opened shops.
Most of the shops were owned by CPM sympathisers. Vehicles were seen plying in the town.
Autorickshaws were parked in the stand, private cars and motorcycles were seen on the road.
“Cheruvathur never shuts down during BJP hartal," said an autorickshaw driver and member of CITU. Police were deployed in full strength to ward off violence. Cheruvathur and neighbouring Cheemeni are CPM bastions with little BJP presence.