Coimbatore Bandh passes off peacefully
Coimbatore: The 12-hour bandh called by the Salem Railway Division Protection Struggle Committee demanding inclusion of Coimbatore and Tirupur in the new division was near-total and passed off peacefully.
Shops and commercial establishments put up the shutters from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Buses and autorickshaws kept off the road. Even tea stalls remained closed. Most of the educational institutions declared a holiday. Some day scholar students returned home, waiting for the college buses. Some colleges functioned with only hostellers attending the classes. The police made tight security arrangements.
The day passed off even without a stray incident of violence, Police Commissioner C.K. Gandhi Rajan said. The inter-State traffic on NH 47 was diverted along the bypass road. The traffic on the other arterial roads was also diverted to skip the city. Commotion prevailed at the Coimbatore Junction when some students of the Government Law College squatted on the track at 8 a.m. blocking the Palakkad - Tiruchi passenger. The police removed them.
Around 11.30 a.m., activists of all political parties, under the banner of the struggle committee, squatted on the track and blocked the Gorakhpur - Thiruvanathapuram Express and raised slogans against the Kerala Chief Minister. The police removed them.
The Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam activists, led by general secretary K. Ramakrishnan, burnt the effigy of Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Varghese, accusing him of trying to stall the formation of the division and trying to retain Coimbatore and Tirupur with the Palakkad Division. Two activists were arrested for allegedly stopping the Sabari Express from Hyderabad bound for Palakkad at Madukkarai by pulling the alarm chain.
Source:The Hindu
