Thrissur (Kerala), Apr 16 (PTI) 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 on Wednesday morning.
People of the area organised the hartal to register their protest against alleged government inaction.
A protester told a TV channel that they want effective measures from the Forest Department and the government to ensure people in the area can move freely without fear of wild animal attacks.
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 the number of protestors increased and more and more private vehicles, including those of tourists from other states, were turned away or blocked from moving towards the Athirappilly tourist spots, the police intervened to remove the agitators.
More than four hours after the hartal commenced, the protestors were removed from the area in police vehicles and vehicular movement was restored, according to visuals on TV channels.
In the morning, TV channels showed the protestors standing in the middle of the road towards the Athirappilly tourist spots and sending back private vehicles, even as a large number of police personnel posted nearby to prevent any untoward incident.