Mattannur: Commuters had a harrowing time on Friday as private buses went on strike along the Iritty–Mattannur–Thalassery route. The bus operators halted services abruptly in the morning in protest over the delay in arresting all those accused of assaulting a bus conductor at Peringathur near Panur.

Caught off guard, many commuters, especially students, were left stranded and forced to rely on private vehicles and taxis to reach their destinations. The local jeep services that stepped in to operate parallel to the bus routes came as a major relief to the affected passengers.