Stray incidents of stone pelting mark Kerala hartal
Barring some stray incidents of stone pelting on commercial vehilces and KSRTC buses in different places, the 12-hour hartal called by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala was peaceful.
The protest paralysed public life of the state and educational institutions were closed. Though state government offices including the state secretarait functioned, attendace was very thin due to a lack of transportation facilities.
Protestors pelted stones at KSRTC buses in Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha districts, while LDF workers attacked private vehicles in Ernakulam and Kollam. Commercial vehicles were damaged in Kozhikode, Palakkad and Kasargode.
The Left front had called for the hartal in protest against the latest round of petrol price hike.