Stone pelting and violence reported during hartal

Thiruvananthapuram: Incidents of stone pelting on KSRTC buses and forcible closure of shops were reported from various parts of the State where the opposition Congress-led UDF is observing a hartal Monday.

Private buses were off the roads, while autorickshaws and KSRTC buses operated services in several places in the initial hours of the dawn-to-dusk hartal, called to protest the alleged anti-people policies of Union and state governments and the rising petrol and diesel prices.

Vehicles were seen plying on roads of the state capital. However, incidents of stone throwing on KSRTC buses were reported from Aryanad and Parasala. In Kochi, a KSRTC bus on its way to Guruvayur from Alapuzha was stoned and its window panes damaged at Palarivattom.

In Thrissur, police took into custody activists as they stoned vehicles.

All universities have postponed examinations scheduled for today in view of the protest, while Public Service Commission examinations were being held.

Police had made elaborate arrangements to prevent untoward incidents and all district police chiefs had been instructed to take stringent steps against those attempting to instigate violence and destroy public property.

Police had also made it clear that action would be taken against forcible closure of shops and preventing people going for work.

In Thiruvananthapuram, UDF workers took out a march to the Secretariat from Palayam Martys Column raising slogans against the union and state governments.