Kerala   

Life hit in Malappuram

Right pitch: It was cricket day for these children as the Malappuram municipal bus stand remained deserted on Tuesday following a hartal called by the UDF.

MALAPPURAM: The State-wide hartal called by the United Democratic Front (UDF) was total in the district. It was by and large incident-free.

Vehicles were off the road and shops and business establishments remained closed till 6 p.m. Attendance at government offices was sparse. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained closed.

The UDF said the hartal was total and peaceful in the district.

A group of UDF men barged into the village office at Edavanna and forcibly closed the office. The police registered a case against the hartal supporters for destroying the glass windowpanes of the office. Four of them were arrested and later remanded in judicial custody by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Manjeri.

They were Sunil Babu, Sajil, Sandeep and E.A. Kareem. A few more people said to have been involved in the Village Office incident are on the run.

The police caned away a large group of people gathered at Edavanna Police Station, demanding the release of the arrested. They were led by A.P. Anil Kumar, MLA.

The police arrested 17 hartal supporters who marched to the Nilambur Taluk Office. UDF men also tried to disrupt the functioning of the Divisional Forest Office at Nilambur. The office continued to function with police protection.

Staff Reporter writes from Palakkad: The hartal was near total and peaceful in the district.

There was no major untoward incident, but some stray incidents of stone-throwing and road blockade were reported. At Elappully-Para, near the town, two lorries were stoned and damaged. Only a few four-wheelers were seen on the roads. But two-wheelers were out in good numbers.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operated 30 scheduled services from the Palakkad depot to Coimbatore, Kozhikode, Ottappalam and Kottayam.

Markets, shops and business establishments remained closed. Schools and educational institutions were shut.

Functioning of government offices and banks were affected.

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