Violence forces Kozhikode shopkeepers to keep shutters down

Kozhikode: The collective effort of shopkeepers in Kozhikode to discourage the frequent hartal calls by political parties and other organisations failed to make any impact on Thursday with the workers of Sabarimala Karma Samiti, BJP, RSS and other Hindutva outfits unleashing violence across the city streets.

The Sabarimala Karma Samiti had called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Thursday to protest against the entry of two women of child-bearing age to Sabarimala temple on Wednesday. The duo visited the temple after the Supreme Court lifted a centuries-old ban on women visiting the shrine.

In the morning Kozhikode's traders, led by Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti president T Naseeruddeen, came in group and opened three shops in SM Street, where more than 200 shops are located. When the Karma Samiti issued the hartal call, Naseeruddeen had made it clear that the shops would remain open on Thursday.

Even as the traders started opening more shops, the protesters reached the spot in a procession and asked them to down the shutters. In a bid to stop the Samiti workers, DYFI men also reached the spot. The traders told the Samiti workers more shops would be opened and they cannot afford to keep their shops closed for each hartal. District collector Sambasiva Seeram and police commissioner S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar reached the spot and deployed more force in the street, one of the prominent business spots in the town. The road was recently converted into a walkers' street. The collector asked the police to take strict action against those who resort to violence. However, till the filing of this report only three shops out of at least 200 could be opened at SM Street and workers of DYFI and the Samiti are camping at the spot, creating tension in the area.

Valiyangadi, another business area of the city, shopkeepers opted to keep their shops closed. All major roads in the city are witnessing protests by the Samiti workers and even two-wheeler riders are being stopped by the cops to avoid any untoward incidents.

In Kannur, shopkeepers complained that though they were ready to open the shops, they were not provided enough security cover by the police.

In Malappuram district's Ponnani town, four policemen were injured in stone pelting by RSS workers. Right-wing workers pelted stones at buses also, bringing bus services in Malappuram and Kozhikode to a halt.

In Majeri, Karma Samiti activists laid siege to the office of a temple as a protest against the Devaswom Board. This Ayyappa temple comes under Malabar Devaswom Board.

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