Forest office files, bar burnt

Kozhikode/ Kottayam: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from Kozhikode and Idukki districts on Saturday in protest against the Kasturirangan report.

A bar was set on fire at Thamarassery and violence spread to other parts of Kozhikode district for the second day on Saturday even as the forest department sought a high-level inquiry into burning of the forest office at Thamarassery by anti-socials.

According to Thamarassery police, the ‘Aramana’ bar at Karadi was set ablaze by a gang of 40 persons at 7.30 a.m. Fire Force personnel rushed to the area and doused the fire.

“The situation is now under control. We have deployed around 100 police personnel as the area is still tense,’’ said P. Bijuraj, Circle Inspector, Thamarassery.  

The police nabbed two persons, Muhammad Shaheer, 18, and Muhammad Irshad, 18, natives of Valiyaparambu near Koduvally, in connection with the incident.

The cops have intensified search for the remaining 38. 

Meanwhile,  forest officials said that the fire resulted in destruction of crucial files pertaining to Jeerakapara forest land encroachment and sandalwood smuggling cases.

Terming the attack “well planned,”  the department has urged the government to unearth the conspiracy behind the incident. 

Range officer C.S. Saju said the anti-socials had taken the files from the room and set them  on fire outside the office.

Thamarassery police registered 24 cases in connection with the violence during  the last two days and registered cases against 1, 500 persons.

Of the total cases, 18 were registered for destruction of public property, the police said.

Thiruvambady police registered three cases  in connection with the attack on the village office, Krishi Bhavan and  the office of Vanasamrakshana Samithi at Thiruvambady.

Property worth Rs 2 lakh was damaged in the attack on Vanasamrakshana Samithi office.

Four cases were registered in connection with the attack on Krishi Bhavan, veterinary hospital and BSNL office at Thamarassery and DTPC office at Thusharagiri.

The Kodanchery police are  probing the incident.

Kottayam: Barring sporadic incidents of violence, the situation remained calm during the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the LDF in Idukki district on Saturday.

Hartal supporters attacked the head post office and the local office of the KSEB at Kattappana.

Next: Hartal will upset Sabarimala pilgrimage

Hartal will upset Sabarimala pilgrimage

Hiran Unnikrishnan| DC

Kochi: With the LDF calling for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the state on Monday, the Sabarimala-bound pilgrims coming from neighbouring states like Karnataka,  Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are  likely to suffer the most.

According to officials of Pathanamthitta district administration, the call for a strike to protest against the Kasturirangan committee report has cast uncertainty over the movement of pilgrims,  especially  those arriving by trains. Earlier last week, an all- party meeting convened by the district collector had reached a consensus to exclude Sabarimala pilgrims from agitations.

“Though the strike will not affect the activities in  and around the hillock, the devotees will be put to hardships in towns like Pathanamthitta, Pandalam, Adoor, Thiruvalla and Ranni due to closure of shops and eateries and absence of sufficient transport facility,’’  they point out.

Even  Collector Pranab Jyothinath was not sure about the status of shops and eateries in the district but said that he was planning to approach the striking parties in this regard.

Youths, techies frown on hartal

Alappuzha: One more hartal is upon the state. The State Human Rights Commission had warned of stringent action against hartals and the related violence as it was an infringement on a citizen’s constitutional rights.

Even though the Central Government had made it clear that it would take four months to arrive at a conclusion on the implementation of the Kasthurirangan report, netizens and activists believe that the hartal called by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is only for the sake of political mileage.

Habeeb Abdhul Salam, a Facebookian, says the hartal is utter nonsense. The Kasthurirangan report is not going to hit the life of the local people even if it is to be implemented. It will only affect huge construction work and granite quarries in the area. Then why this call?, he asks.

Sonia Elizebath Padamadan, a Kochi-based techie says our politicians who sit behind the curtain are watching a puppet show called hartal. They don’t want to know how hartal hits the normal life of people. How many of our political leaders opt to get their children educated in Kerala? People who want to raise their voices against hartals are not allowed to do so.