THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hartal called by Joint Protest Council, an umbrella organization of various political outfits, against the Citizenship Amendment Act evoked a mixed response even as stray incidents of violence were reported from the district.
Stones were pelted at two KSRTC buses near Attingal and Peroorkada however no injuries were reported in this incident.
The hartal supporters organized a protest march to the Secretariat which was blocked by the police. Cops used water cannons to disperse the protestors when they tried to cross the barricades.
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Around nine activists belonging to Campus Front, the students' outfit of Popular Front of India, were taken into custody after they barged into the Directorate of Public Instruction.
So far, the police have detained 233 people across the state as part of preventive measures.
Police take more than 30 Hartal supporters into custody
More than 30 hartal supporters were taken into custody by Malappuram police for engaging in violence during the protest marches taken out against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Tuesday.
"Some people are under preventive custody. Some were taken into custody for disrupting the free movement of the people, forcing shops owners to shut down their shops and damaging public and private properties," said Special Branch Deputy SP Vasudevan PT.
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From Ponnani region alone, police took 14 people into custody. All of them are activists of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The protestors pelted stones at a lorry at Ponnani. In the case, the police nabbed two persons. Other protestors were arrested from Chamravattom and Nariparamba in Ponnani for blocking the vehicles and threatening the passengers.
The protesters took out marches at Kottakkal, Tirurangadi, Kottakkal and Perinthalmanna. Police stopped the protestors who tried to disrupt vehicles at Malappuram Town and Tirur town. The police later took them into custody.
KSRTC is operating services in the area, but the services are not enough to help students who want to reach the schools for exams. Private buses are keeping away from roads. In the morning, students were seen going to schools with the private vehicles of their parents.
Though Vypari Vyvasayi Ekopana Samithi informed they would not cooperate with the Hartal, they had to close most of their shops fearing violence from the part of the protestors. Meanwhile, SDPI members claimed Hartal is a success and people and shop owners cooperated with the protest.
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Kollam
Stone-throwing incident on a KSRTC bus has been reported from Karunagappally as the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by a Joint Action Council against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and police action on students of Jamia university in Delhi, began on Tuesday. No one was hurt in the incident.
Palakkad
The police had to cane the Samyuktha Samara Samithi member who tried to block vehicles near the BEM school junction on Tuesday in connection with the hartal.
At 8.30 am, few activists tried to block vehicles when the police resorted to a lathi-charge. Around 15 persons have been taken into custody by the Palakkad South police and cases have been registered. A bus of the Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation bus was stoned at Walayar by the activists.
The march by the Samyuktha Samara Samithi to the Palakkad South police station from Puthupally theruvu was called off after police told the members that it was illegal. The members of the Samithi said that they were ready to call off the march if the 15 persons arrested were released.
They said that by evening if the members were not released they would conduct a march to the office of the district police chief.
The KSRTC buses were operating in convoys to Coimbatore. However, private buses were not operating. The shops were closed in most parts of the towns.