Thiruvananthapuraam: Kerala witnessed its first hartal (strike) of the New Year in the northern Kasaragod district on Tuesday, marked by clashes between the Bharatiya Janata Party supporters and the police.
The BJP had called for the dawn-to-dusk strike on Tuesday to protest attacks on their cadres, allegedly by activists of the Communist Party of India Marxist on Monday.
Following clashes, police resorted to using tear gas shells to disperse the BJP supporters.
During the strike, stones were pelted at CPM offices and also at some cooperative societies managed by the CPM. In some places, CPM flags were pulled down and destroyed.
The trigger for the strike call was the stoppage of a BJP march on Monday to Cheemeni, a well-known CPM stronghold, by CPM supporters. When the BJP rally from Cheruvathur to Cheemeni was blocked, BJP volunteers turned violent.
In the ensuing clashes between the two sides, several policemen and a number of workers belonging to both parties were injured. Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP workers then resorted to a blockade of the national highway.
Frequent daylong strikes in Kerala have been condemned by industry associations, and the strikes have also affected the tourism sector.
In December, state tourism minister, Kadakampally Surendran said the government would ensure that the tourism sector would be exempted from such strikes.
