24-hour general strike hits normal life

The 24-hour general strike called by major Central trade unions in protest against labour law amendments hit normal life across Kerala.

No major instance of violence was reported from any part of the State during the strike which began at midnight on Sunday and ended at midnight on Monday.

The State presented a bandh-like atmosphere in most parts of the State with public transport remaining off the road and shops, businesses, markets and commercial establishments remaining shut.

Government offices functioned with minimal attendance, but educational institutions did not function in most cases.

The Kerala Public Service Commission’s (PSC) recruitment examinations went on as scheduled, but the university examinations charted for the day could not take place.

The striking unions took out marches in all districts. In the State capital, they took out a march to the Raj Bhavan. CITU State president Anathalavattom Anandan addressed the marchers at the venue.

The agitators did try to block the path of autorickshaws and taxis that tried to ply and this did result in some tension in such places. The ones worst affected by the general strike were long-distance travellers, including many who had reached the State by flight and trains.

The police tried to mitigate the difficulties of the passengers by pressing vans to ferry the passengers to central points.

Tense situation

In Thiruvananthapuram, a tense situation prevailed in the Thampanoor railway station area when the agitators and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) workers entered into an altercation.

The SDPI activists were returning after staging a sit-in before the Thampanoor police station against the harassment of a family from the southern suburbs of the city allegedly by RSS activists on Sunday night.

The police had a tough time dispersing the two sides.