The dawn-to-dusk Statewide hartal called by the United Democratic Front (UDF) was near-total in the district.
The hartal, called in protest against the ‘anti-people’ policies of the Central and State governments, passed off peacefully.
The hartal hit the normal functioning of government offices here as, according to the police, less than 20% of employees turned up for work. Most of the banks and educational institutions remained closed as were shops and commercial establishments.
Private buses, autorickshaws and taxies were off the road. The KSRTC operated three bus services from here to Iritty, Payyannur and Bengaluru with police escort.
The UDF workers staged a march here in the morning in support of the hartal. A group of UDF workers in the march tried to stop a KSRTC bus near the Kannur railway station. District Congress Committee president Satheeshan Pacheni and Congress leader K. Surendran intervened and allowed the bus to operate the service following the plea by some women passengers who were stranded after they reached here by train. The UDF workers also marched to the branches of the State Bank of India and Syndicate Bank here. The police arrested 14 Youth Congress workers when they blocked the road at Alakkode. They were released on bail later.
At Iritty, the hartal supporters forced the closure of the Iritty Taluk Office.