Though the law and order situation in and around Thalassery was under control on Saturday, the police are on high alert in the area following attacks on the houses of leaders of rival Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) late night on January 4 and in the wee hours of Saturday.
The police said Thalassery and nearby areas witnessed no serious incidents on Saturday after the attacks on the houses of A.N. Shamseer, MLA, V. Muraleedharan, BJP MP, former CPI(M) district secretary P. Sasi, and RSS leader K. Chandrashekharan late night on Friday and after midnight.
The police deployed additional forces in the area in view of the tense situation.
“The situation at Thalassery is now under control as the police have deployed around 250 personnel,” District Police Chief G. Siva Vikram said.
Raids on 45 houses
The police conducted raids on 45 houses at Thalassery and surrounding areas following the incidents on Friday, he told The Hindu. A total 270 people had been arrested in the district in connection with the incidents over the past three days. The police held a route march at Thalassery on Saturday morning. Police patrolling would be strengthened at night as incidents of violence were taking place after nightfall.
Though the attacks over the past three days caused damage to property, there were very few cases of injury, the police said. Thalassery and surrounding areas had been tense since the incidents of bomb explosions at Kolassery and Kallayitheru during the BJP-supported hartal on January 3.