Sj Desk
Thiruvananthapuram: Protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 continue to persist all over the nation as political parties and students join hands in a united front. On Tuesday, 33 organizations in Kerala had called for a statewide shutdown to protest against the CAA. However, their protest began with the police taking over 100 people into preventive custody from across the state in order to steer clear from potential violence.
The shutdown was mainly called by small political parties that have no representation in the Kerala Assembly. The shutdown, however, did not yield the political parties the desired results as most shops and public vehicles functioned as usual. The authorities standing against the protests did not declare a holiday for educational institutions.
However, in some parts of the state like Kannur, Kasargode, Palakkad, and parts of Ernakulam, the protesters blocked public transport and forced shops to down the shutters.
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At these affected areas, the police and protesters were locked in a standoff, following which the force took over a dozen into their preventive custody. While government transports are functioning, private vehicles are not seen on the road in these areas.
Conditions in the state capital are normal and, but cases of the stoning of buses have been reported.
Among the various political parties who ordered a shutdown were the SDPI and the Welfare Party and their members are engaged in active participation out on the streets of Kerala.
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Loknath Behra, the State Police chief had warned on Monday that a statewide shutdown had not been passed by the Kerala High Court and was illegal. Seven days' notice is mandatory for calling a statewide shutdown and action will be taken against the organizers.
