Thiruvananthapuram: Several persons were injured as hartal supporters clashed with rival party workers and obstructed citizens across the city. Mediapersons were also beaten up and their equipment worth Rs 1.5 lakh was also damaged near Statue. In the first incident at Pazhavangadi, a group of BJP workers ransacked an ambulance belonging to DYFI and injured its driver Shaji, who according to CPM workers, was transporting a woman who had fallen unconscious.
Later in the evening, DYFI- BJP workers clashed at Sreevarahom grievously injuring a CPM worker Arun Raj and a few other hartal supporters. Six BJP workers including Sreevarahom councillor Mini R and Manacaud Councilor Simi Jyothish were allegedly roughed up when they came to the spot at Kilikkodu. Meanwhile, Cantonment police has registered a case against 15 BJP men for allegedly damaging the cameras of Suneesh Kumar of UNI and Arun Mohan of Kerala Kaumudi. They also roughed up Jithin of Mathrubhumi Online and Kamal Shankar of Indian Express.
Workers of BJP and DYFI clash at Sreevarahom on Thursday. (Photo: DC)
Cameras worth Rs 1.5 lakh were broken and a wallet of one Suneesh with an ATM card and Rs 600 cash was snatched by hartal supporters. In yet another incident, at Kunchalumoodu near Karamana, a procession of BJP workers attacked a chicken stall belonging to one Shameela as it remained open in the morning. The workers broke cages and threw away ten chickens of which seven died, Karamana police said. In retaliation, a group of workers allegedly affiliated to SDPI waylaid two motorbike-borne men identified as Anil Kumar, 38 and Rajeev, 38 of Karamana and beat them up suspecting they were BJP workers.
Nemom police has registered two cases again hartal supporters who ransacked the DYFI office at Vallamkodu and damaged a flagpost at Arikkadamukku. A 24-year-old DYFI activist was admitted to Parassala Government Hospital after a clash with BJP workers in the morning. Hartal supporters sprinkled glass shards between Mangattukadavu and Kundamanbhagom and obstructed traffic using poles. They also deflated the tyres of a handful of vehicles taking commuters to Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway station.
Elderly hawkers hit hard by hartal
The hartal hit elderly street hawkers and affected their business badly. On Thursday, when septuagenarian Moly Amma (name changed) boarded Thiruvananthapuram mail from Attingal, she carried many lottery tickets that were to expire by 2.30 pm. By the time she reached Thiruvananthapuram, she still had 15 unsold tickets worth around Rs 750. “The hartal affected me badly because otherwise I would have sold all my 40 tickets. Our customers are mostly daily commuters. My children don’t provide for me, so I have to earn ,” she said.
A lottery seller stands clueless with unsold tickets at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on Thursday. (Photo: DC)
Elsewhere at Changanaserry railway platform, Thommichan, another seller was flaunting his asthma inhaler to sell lottery tickets, but did not have much luck. The sellers get between Rs 3 and Rs 5 profit on each ticket they sell and unsold tickets mean losses. The hartal organized hastily with a notice of just 15 hours, hit many tourists. Many were clueless as to how to manage. But some came up with alternate plans.
“We are planning to stay somewhere around Thampanoor until the strike ends at 6pm. We had booked a room at Kovalam a month ago. We will end up losing money and also will not be able to see all the tourist places,” Ashish Mehta from Ahmedabad said. During a recce around the city, Deccan Chronicle noticed some enterprising sellers who opened their paanshop to sell lemonade. At Attakulangara, a father and his minor son were spotted selling biriyani packets to migrant labourers who came to Gandhi Park as usual.
