Tension prevails in Kozhikode during Congress-led UDF hartal

Kozhikode: Minor skirmishes were reported during the Congress-led UDF's dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kozhikode on Sunday, held in protest against the clashes that broke out during the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank election here.

According to the sources with the police, tension escalated after the hartal supporters attempted to block private buses and shut shops forcibly on Mavoor Road and private bus stand premises in the city.

Tension prevailed on Mavoor road during a march taken out by Youth Congress after the protesters engaged in an altercation with the police, sources added.

However, the police brought the situation under control, they said.

As per the visuals aired by television channels, altercations broke out between bus workers, shopkeepers, and protesters as the latter tried to halt services forcibly.

Congress workers stopped the buses operating out of the city while the buses plying in the city were kept off the road due to the protest, sources said.

Kozhikode DCC president M Praveenkumar stated that the police remained mute spectators when the CPI(M) activists attempted to undermine the election to the Chevayur co-operative bank.

"They (CPI(M)) purportedly caused tension to keep the voters away and carried out bogus voting," he said, adding that the UDF is protesting against this.

The voting for the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank at a polling station in Kozhikode city on Saturday witnessed violence with members of the Congress and its rebel faction clashing with each other, putting on hold the voting process for a few hours.

The police reportedly had to resort to a lathi charge to separate the two groups.

Congress leaders have alleged unprecedented violence during the elections, accusing the CPI (M) of orchestrating the entire operation.

According to the leaders, the police supported the CPI(M)'s actions and several Congress workers were injured in attacks by the ruling party.

Last month, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran had threatened a faction of rebels contesting against the party candidates in the bank election.

The Congress-ruled Chevayur co-operative bank's election has become a matter of concern for the party following the suspension of former bank president G C Prasanth.

Subsequently, in protest against the action, about 50 party leaders in Kozhikode resigned from the Congress.

They had alleged that the District Congress Committee (DCC) president was acting against the interest of local party workers and appointing party office bearers considering vested interests.