Kasaragod in Turmoil: Spontaneous closure of shops and private transport

21.05.10 Kasaragod : On the walls of  a holy and historic temple on the main Bank road, Mallikarjuna Temple, the picture of a Pakistani flag was found drawn up, that led to public confusion and closure (bund) of local shops and transport,. If it was an attempt to stir up a peaceful atmosphere by the villains, they have succeeded. The green picture drawn on the walls (of a Pakistani national flag) has disrupted the local activities and roused angry feelings among devotees of the Temple.

People started thronging the holy place and the irate situation threatened to go out of control. It was like ‘Laila’ tempest hitting the district capital, and transport vehicles stopped plying on the city roads, on lookers said.

The Kerala CM, V.S. Achyuthanandan, was expected to arrive in nearby Perla town, so the local police were on duty there, which gave the miscreants a chance to take undue advantage at the temple.

But the police rushed back to the spot of disturbance,  on receiving the news of disquiet and established peace once again among the public. There was no violence anywhere, but some activists of Hindu outfits tried to close down the shops which had opened. The private buses of transport did not run, and local leaders adopted a “wait and see” attitude in view of CM’s visit to Perla today.