Violence marks LDF march, call for hartal on Tuesday

Thiruvanantapuram,Monday, March 17, 2003: Nearly 500 people, including 171 police personnel, were injured today when a Left Democratic Front (LDF) march to the offices of Superintendents of Police across Kerala turned violent, leading to police firing rubber bullets in two places, besides using tear gas and lathicharge to disperse the protestors. Besides 17 vehicles being torched, the violence also left 17 other vehicles, including three KSRTC buses, damaged.The LDF had organised the march to demand a judicial probe into last month's police action on agitating tribals of Muthanga.The LDF, meanwhile, has called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Tuesday in protest against what they termed "police brutality" on marchers. Police said large-scale violence was reported from Thiruvananthapuram, Pallakad, Kannur and Kozhikode, while marchers stoned police teams and vehicles in most other districts.

In Kannur, the protesters hurled country-made bombs at the police and torched six four wheelers and two motorbikes besides damaging 22 vehicles, including three KSRTC buses. Files and furniture in the town Circle Inspector's office were set afire. The nearly 350 injured, included Lok Sabha members T Govindan and A P Abdullakutty and MLA M V Govindan Master. In Palakkad, the mob set on fire a van belonging to Malayala Manorama daily, threw stones at the district collector's residence and damaged a police aid post. Police lobbed teargas shells and fired plastic bullets to disperse them.