KANNUR: A highly tense situation prevails in the Puthiatheru region here following the cremation of the body of the DYFI worker O T Vineesh, who was stabbed by an alleged group of NDF activists on Wednesday. The CPM had called a hartal in the municipal area and the adjacent panchayats on Friday.
Houses were set on fire by anti-social elements in Puthiatheru. There were some attacks on the houses of CPM local leaders early on Friday morning. In a possible act of retaliation, a house was set ablaze. Another house also was set afire at Kunnumkai.
Several of the families in the locality are camping at certain centres, giving a communal twist to the whole series of violent incidents.
The fireforce personnel also were not being allowed to reach the spot, according to sources. Kunnumkai was the location where the DYFI worker was stabbed by NDF activists.
The narrow road leading to the place also makes it inaccessible. According to sources, there was trouble brewing in the Kunnumkai area from Friday morning with some of the people vacating their houses and leaving the area with families.
Newspaper office attacked
The hartal was marked by violence and attacks on a newspaper office here. The first target of the hartal supporters was the district bureau of the Mangalam daily located on the Yogasala road. A 20-member gang of hartal supporters broke into the office of the newspaper and smashed glass-panes of the office and destroyed office equipment, furniture and files.
T K Joshi, reporter of the newspaper and its photographer Krishnan Kanhirangad suffered injuries in the attack. They were admitted to a hospital.
The head post office located just at the heart of the municipal town here was another target. Office furniture, counters and flower-pots kept at the office was systematically demolished by a violent group of alleged CPM activists.