Roads blocked in many places in state, vehicles will not be allowed to ply, say leaders

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state hartal called by Justice for Nitin Raj Action Council and dalit tribal organizations has started in the state. The protestors blocked roads in various places in the state. Leaders said vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the roads. Police are forcibly removing activists from many places.

Organization activists blocked vehicles at the KSRTC stand in Adoor and Pathanamthitta. Protestors also blocked the road on the Thiruvananthapuram Kaniyapuram highway. Roads were blocked at Nedumangad and Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram. The police are removing activists from many places. In Thampanoor, activists did not allow buses to operate services. Roads were blocked in various places in Kannur and Idukki.

The hartal that started at 6 am is till 6 pm. The hartal is being held with demands such as arresting all those responsible for the death of Nithin Raj, a student of Anjarakandi Dental College, implement the Rohit Vemula Act and to give a compensation of Rs 10 crore to his family.

The Nithin Raj Action Council had earlier stated that vehicles will not be stopped during the hartal, which is being held in collaboration with 52 dalit organizations, and that the public should cooperate with the hartal. However, Devasya Mechery, state general secretary of the Traders and Traders Coordination Committee, informed that shops and markets will remain open. Rajkumar Karuvaram, general secretary of the Kannur District General Secretary of the Bus Operators Association, had also informed that private buses will operate as usual.