A statewide hartal called by Dalit organisations seeking justice in the death of a dental college student has disrupted normal life in Kerala, with protesters blocking vehicles and forcing shops to close.
Staging over a 100 hartals annually in recent times, causing loss of hundreds of crores of rupees to the state exchequer, Kerala has earned the dubious distinction of being the only state in the country where shutdown calls by any political party will be a sure success.
Dalit organisations in Kerala have called for a state-wide strike to protest the death of Nithin Raj, a dental college student, alleging caste-based harassment and demanding a fair investigation.
Dalit organisations in Kerala are demanding compensation and a High Court-monitored probe into the death of a BDS student, alleging 'institutional murder' and caste-based harassment.
The investigation into the death of a student at a private dental college in Kannur, Kerala, has been handed over to the state Crime Branch following allegations of harassment and a statewide protest.
Youth League activists clashed with police during a protest march at a dental college in Kerala over the death of a Dalit student. The protest was triggered by allegations of harassment and demands for action against faculty members.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in various parts of Kerala as the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) was underway.
Indian Rubber Dealers' Federation's call for a Rubber Hartal, which is now withdrawn, is another step in a new trend - branding hartals.
The Kerala high court on Friday took suo motu case against radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and its state general secretary over declaring hartal in the southern state on Friday.
'In each hartal, enormous amount of public money is wasted. The entire state comes to a standstill. How long can this go on?' 'Every year 3 crore people sit at home not because they support hartals, but because they are forced to do so.' 'This is part of a larger measure to curb democratic rights.'
BJP activist Remith was hacked to death in the home town of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday.
The day-long hartal called by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Kerala on Tuesday to protest murder of an activist in Kannur district disrupted normal life across the state.
Normal life was on Wednesday disrupted in Kerala due to the dawn-to-dusk 12-hour hartal called by Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Democratic Front to demand resignation of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over the solar scam issue.
Joseph, a Dalit Christian, was abducted on Sunday and killed by a gang of criminals allegedly engaged by his fiancee's family.
Sporadic violence marked the 'hartal' called by Hindu right groups in Kerala over Wednesday's police action against those opposing entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.
Sattar, who was allegedly absconding after calling for a state-wide hartal on September 23 against nation-wide raids on the outfit's offices and arrests of its leaders, is expected to be handed over to the NIA during the day.
The Assam Police have issued notices to opposition parties 'ordering' them to 'withdraw' the hartal over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and warned that 'legal action' will be taken against them if they fail to follow the diktat.
Normal life was affected across Kerala by the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Left Democratic Front on Monday to protest the Centre's move to implement key recommendations of the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats conservation.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said the violence during the Popular Front of India (PFI)-sponsored hartal in his state was 'pre-meditated' and assured strict action against the culprits while his Assam counterpart Hemanta Biswas Sarma batted for banning the Islamist outfit, whom the National Investigation Agency (NIA) accused of encouraging youth to join terrorist groups including the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Senior IUML leader MK Muneer said the radical outfit had misinterpreted the Quran and persuaded the community members to adopt the path of violence.
The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front to step up pressure on the Centre for imposing a nation-wide ban on endosulfan pesticide hit normal life across Kerala on Friday.
The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala against the formation of Salem Railway Division by bifurcating Palakkad Division hit normal life in the state on Thursday.
Kerala Union of Working Journalists decided to boycott the press meets called by the BJP after saffron party workers attacked mediapersons.
801 cases have been registered in connection with violent protests which were witnessed during the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by pro-Hindu outfits on Thursday, police said, adding that 717 people are now in preventive custody.
Security was stepped up in politically-volatile areas of north Kerala. Two companies of Central Rapid Action Force had been requisitioned by the state government for deployment in Kannur to meet any eventuality, police said.
After the Kerala government declared the coronavirus outbreak as a 'state calamity', as the three positive cases were detected from Thrissur, Alapuzha and Kasaragod, tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran admitted that the sector had suffered a hit. The sector had aggressively launched promotional advertisements in the domestic and international markets after the floods to revive the sector. However, all the efforts took a beating, with mass cancellations of hotel bookings after the outbreak of the infection in the state was reported.
The raids, taking place mainly in South India, was termed by the NIA as the 'largest ever' investigation process 'till date'.
A 12-hour hartal is being observed against the preventive detention of a Hindu Aikya Vedi leader.
In fresh escalation of political violence in poll-bound Kerala, a 28-year-old Youth Congress worker was hacked to death allegedly by Democratic Youth Federation of India workers at Evoor in Alapuzha on Tuesday even as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India - Marxist workers clashed in Thiruvananthapuram district leaving at least 30 injured.
The CPI(M) today observed 'Black day' in Kerala in protest against Governor R S Gavai's decision to accord sanction to the CBI to prosecute former Minister and party's state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin graft case.
Police said 34-year-old Rajesh's left hand was chopped off in the attack which took place around 9 pm on Saturday night.
'My joining the BJP will definitely result in a landslide migration of votes to the BJP.'
The attack against the BJP worker, Santosh, took place when he was alone in his house at Andaloor in Dharmadam in Thalassery on Wednesday night.
A 15-year old boy was stabbed to death allegedly by a group of people during a temple festival at Padayanivattom near Alappuzha on Wednesday night, the police said.
Elanthottil Manoj, the latest victim of this violence, was hacked to death by goons who barged into his house. Manoj was the district leader of the Sharirik Shikshan, affiliated to the RSS. The incident occurred in Kizhakke Kadirur near Thalassery, the epicentre of political violence in Kannur district.
Twenty-year old worker Nirmal was stabbed to death during celebrations at a festival in a temple.
Remith, who suffered severe injuries on his head and neck in the attack that happened at 10.30 am, died on the way to hospital, police said.
In Kerala, the use of black ranges from such convenience to strictures by community and religion to fashion and personal choice. One would have to be really insecure or too fond of the well settled life to see black solely as a badge of protest, points out Shyam G Menon.
In a huge embarrassment to the Communist Party of India-Marxist in Kerala, party's senior state leader P Jayarajan was on Wednesday arrested in connection with the murder of Indian Union Muslim League youth wing activist Abdul Shukkoor in February.
