Kerala - Alappuzha   

Hindu Aikya Vedi hartal disrupts life

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, NOV. 15. The hartal called by the Hindu Aikya Vedi in protest against the arrest of the Kanchi Acharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, was complete in the district.

Shops and business establishments all over the district remained closed. Public transport system did not function. Government offices functioned as usual. The hartal was peaceful, barring stray incidents of violence. Hartal supporters clashed with DYFI activists at Mannar. The clash occurred when the scooter belonging to a DYFI activist hit hartal supporters who were taking out a march in Mannar.

The Kerala Brahmana Samooham too organised a dharna at Mullakkal. The Akhila Kerala Brahmana Federation state-vice president, K.K. Sankaran Namboothiri, inaugurated the dharna. Members of the Namboothiri Yogakshema Sabha, Udupi Madhwa Tulu Brahmin Sabha, Yuvajana Samaj and Kerala Brahmana Sabha took part in the dharna.

In Kottayam

The 12-hour State-wide hartal called by the Hindu organisations was partial. There were sporadic incidents of violence in the district.

Sabarimala pilgrims from Mangalore were attacked by hartal supporters at Vellore, the police said. One of the pilgrims was injured in the incident, which occurred at noon. Supporters of the hartal pelted stones at the pilgrims. However, they refrained from lodging a formal complaint, the police said. Earlier in the day, miscreants attacked a national permit lorry bringing machinery to the mini industrial estate at Areeparambu. The police have arrested one person in another incident in which an auto driver was attacked at Mundakkayam. The police have registered a case against four persons.

At Ponkunnam, more than 25 persons were arrested when a protest march turned violent. Two policemen were injured in the melee. While shops remained shut, the Government offices and banks functioned. The attendance was thin though. Private buses remained off the road. KSRTC operated a few services, the authorities said.

However, two wheelers and three-wheelers were seen on the road. Hotels in Kottayam town remained open till 10 a.m. to cater to the pilgrims bound for Sabarimala.

In Thrissur:

Stray incidents of violence marked the hartal. Three persons including a Dy.SP and constable were injured when the police intervened in a clash between the activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Front (NDF) at Pavaratty. The clash was sparked off when the BJP activists tried to forcibly close the shops. The police have taken 37 BJP activists and six NDF activists into custody following the incident. A car was stoned at Erattappuzha near Chavakkad by hartal supporters. The car was transporting a woman passenger from Nedumbassery airport. The passenger suffered minor injuries. The RSS complained that two of their local leaders were arrested by the police from the organisation's office at Vadakkanchery. However, the police said that they had taken into custody only those who had blocked the roads. The hartal evoked a mixed response in the district. Shops and business establishments remained closed. The private line buses and KSRTC buses remained off the road. Very few taxis and autorickshaws plied. The Hindu Aikya Vedi activists took out a demonstration in the city in support of the hartal.

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Hindu Aikya Vedi hartal disrupts life

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