Hartal hits normal life in Malabar

Strike near-total in northern districts

Barring a few untoward incidents, the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by trade unions and endorsed by the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front to support the nationwide farmers’ strike on Monday was almost peaceful in Kozhikode district.

After barging into the office of a franchise of a broadband internet service provider at noon, hartal supporters intimidated and manhandled the staff, disrupted their functioning and tried to damage equipment and furniture. The Nadakkavu police registered a case and arrested 15 persons. Later, they were released on bail.

In another incident, hartal supporters forcibly closed down a private bank functioning at Vandipetta in the morning and asked the staff to vacate their office. However, no case was registered in connection with the incident.