Public hartal in Athirappilly over recent elephant attack deaths

Thrissur (Kerala) | A day after two tribal persons including a woman were found killed in an elephant attack in the Athirappilly forests of this district, a dawn-to-dusk public hartal commenced in the area on Wednesday.

People of the area organised the hartal to register their protest against alleged government inaction.

The hartal has the backing of all the political parties and it was being carried out peacefully, an officer of Athirappilly police station said.

The protestors blocked roads and sent back vehicles of tourists, but allowed passage of office goers, emergency vehicles and those carrying essential goods, police said, adding that it was a peaceful agitation.

However, as it is a tourist site, sending back visitors would affect the area, the officer said.

The protestors assured that they would call off the agitation after a few hours and that it would not continue till evening, he added.

Visuals on TV channels showed the protestors standing in the middle of the roads and sending back private vehicles, even as a large number of police personnel remained nearby to prevent any untoward incident.