Hundreds of travellers who arrived at railway stations from remote locations were stranded. Schools either remained closed or reported low attendance.
Digital Desk: The Kerala High Court on Friday filed a suo motu case against leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for announcing a one-day statewide bandh in the state without authorization and ensuing violence. The court stated that hartal was previously prohibited and that the destruction of public property could not be tolerated.
The first hours of the dawn-to-dusk hartal, called by the PFI in protest of the arrest of its senior leaders by central authorities, were characterized by widespread violence and vehicle attacks.
What is a Suo Motu case ?
Suo Motu, which means "by its own motion," is a Latin legal word that is roughly comparable to sua sponte. It is used when a government agency acts on its own initiative, as in "the Commission seized suo motu control over the matter."
Effects of the violence in Kerala:
Normal life has been disrupted in several parts of Kerala, particularly in PFI defenses, as buses controlled by private operators have been kept off the roads.
Hundreds of travellers who arrived at railway stations from distant locations were stranded. Schools either remained closed or reported low enrollment. Shops and establishments in Muslim strongholds were closed.
Several Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, lorries, and private vehicles were attacked in the state early this morning. Several bus drivers were hurt as a result of the stone pelting. Following bus attacks, the KSRTC briefly suspended operations.
According to police, a bomb was thrown at a two-wheeler in Kannur, while two police officers were injured by a bike while attempting to disperse demonstrators in Kollam.
Officers noted that at Erattupetta in Kottayam district, hartal supporters battled with police as the latter attempted to disperse the crowd. PFI campaigners drove numerous businesses to close their doors.
State police head Anil Kant promised on Thursday that those who engage in violence during the hartal would face severe punishment.
Kant has previously claimed that the whole police force would be deployed to maintain normalcy during the hartal. Despite police presence, isolated incidences of violence began to be reported from across the state beginning in the early hours of Friday.
The PFI has declared a hartal in response to the arrests of 19 of its Kerala officials, including its chairman, O M A Salam, national secretary Nasaruddin Elamaram, state president C P Mohammed Basheer, senior leader P Koya, and former chairman E Aboobacker.
In a statement issued in response to the arrests of its leaders and raids on its properties, PFI state general secretary Abdul Sathar blasted the use of "state machinery" and alleged that central agencies were being utilized to "suppress the rebellious voices."
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