Many stranded at railway\, bus stations

Thiruvananthapura

Many stranded at railway, bus stations

Nowhere to go: Passengers stranded at the Thampanoor railway station in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday after a dawn-to-dusk Statewide hartal was called by the Hindu Aikya Vedi.

Nowhere to go: Passengers stranded at the Thampanoor railway station in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday after a dawn-to-dusk Statewide hartal was called by the Hindu Aikya Vedi.   | Photo Credit: C_RATHEESH KUMAR

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KSRTC suspends city services, autos keep off the road, putting passengers to much inconvenience

Normal life was thrown out of gear in the State capital due to the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi in protest against the arrest of Hindu Aikya Vedi leader K.P. Sasikala. Barring a few sporadic untoward incidents, the hartal passed off peacefully.

The flash hartal inconvenienced long-distance commuters who arrived in the city on Saturday. Many were stranded at the Central railway station and the Thampanoor bus terminal, though the City police had arranged transportation for those going to the government medical college and the Regional Cancer Centre.

Students who came from other districts to participate in an inter-collegiate technical festival at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, were among those stranded.

The KSRTC discontinued city services and only a few autorickshaws plied on roads. A few private vehicles were obstructed at Thampanoor and Enikkara early in the day.

A KSRTC bus was vandalised at Balaramapuram late Friday, allegedly by Sangh Parivar activists.

Clash at Balaramapuram

The CPI(M) and Sangh Parivar activists clashed at Balaramapuram on Saturday. The Jana Munetta Yatra by the CPI(M) was apparently blocked by Sangh Parivar members who were holding a namajapa yajnom in front of a temple at Saliyar Street. A few CPI(M) activists reportedly threw stones at the rival group, resulting in a clash. The activists dispersed after the police resorted to lathi-charge.

Four police officers, including the Kanjiramkulam SI, were injured in the incident.

Maths festival put off

The University of Kerala suspended all contact classes scheduled by the School of Distance Education. Equivalency examinations by the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education were postponed.

The Thiruvananthapuram revenue district mathematics and work experience festivals were put off to Monday.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council called off the formal launch of its Prabudhata programme that was planned to be held in the Karakulam grama panchayat.