5th July 2008 : Kodungallur does an Ekta Kapoor in Hartals

Ever heard of parties waiting in queue to call hartal? Yes it is now serialised and it is very true in Kerala where in a place called Kodungallur, life came to a standstill during the last three days with hartals, violence and attacks on shops, vehicles, residential houses, media persons and pedestrians reports the New Indian Express. The violence and stone throwing at shops and vehicles forced shops, markets and other establishments in the town to down their shutters and private buses and autorickshaws to discontinue their services abruptly.A dawn-to-dusk hartal was called on Thursday by the LDF to mourn the death of the DYFI activist. The hartal supporters attacked parked vehicles and closed shops, threw stones at pedestrians and smashed cameras and threatened media persons. The hartal supporters smashed the statue of Sree Narayana Guru in the Sreekumara Samajam at the West Nada.Since Wednesday afternoon, over 40 houses were attacked, and more than a dozen shops and vehicles had been damaged. Top police officers and over 500 police personnel are camping in the area. Though the police have registered 40 cases, no one was arrested so far.A hartal was called on Thursday by the SNDP Yogam and the Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi to protest against the smashing of the statue of Sree Narayana Guru and the attacks on shops.The private bus operators struck work in Kodungallur-Thrissur, Ernakulam- Kodunallur-Guruvayur routes on Thursday to protest against attacks on vehicles. The town also witnessed protest demonstrations one after another organised by the SNDP Union, Merchants’ Association and the Press Club.