Kerala: 500 arrested, 400 detained after violent protests by PFI, says police

As many as 500 people were arrested and 400 others put under preventive detention on Friday in connection with violent protests during the twelvehour strike called by PFI to protest the arrest of the organisations leadersThe protests also saw stone pelting at an RSS office in Mattannur in Kannur Kerala police saidAdditional Director General of Police ADGP Law and Order Vijay Sakhare told ANI that 500 people had been arrested so far in connection with the protests500 people have been arrested in connection with that and 400 more have been put under preventive detention in connection with a hartal called by the Popular front of India PFI Two incidents of stone pelting were reported at the RSS office at Mattanur the ADGP saidThe ADGP also gave details of another incident where arrests were made for carrying an explosive deviceIn another case two persons on motorcycle with a bomb were arrested Three more people were arrested later All the five have been arrested Currently the situation is normal and under control Sakhare saidEarlier in the day a petrol bomb was also hurled at the RSS office in Mattannur during the protest against the arrest of the PFI activists According to reports two persons on a scooter hurled a petrol bomb at the Sangh office which resulted in the shattering of window panesAlso Read Maharashtra PFI activists detained while protesting in Pune against NIA actionA day after PFI leaders were arrested in massive nationwide raids by the National Investigation Agency NIA and other agencies the controversial organisation had called for a dawnto dusk shutdown on FridayThe hartal strike started at 6 am and would continue for 12 hours till 6 pm informed a protesterAccording to the police stonepelting incidents were reported at various places in the state during the protest Visuals showed the protestors pelting stones at the Kerala State Transport Corporation KSRTC bus at Panamaram village in Wayanad districtThe bus was going to Kozhikode KSRTC buses were also attacked in Kozhikode Kochi Alappuzha and KollamTwo miscreants on a bike at Pallimukku in the Kollam district abused police officials and hit them after they attempted to stop them police saidThe injured police officials identified as Antony and Nikhil have been admitted to the hospital The police said the accused will soon be taken into custodyIn the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram an auto rickshaw and a car were seen in a damaged state after being attacked in Poonthura In Kottayam roads were seen desertedA total of 106 Popular Front of India PFI cadres were arrested yesterday in a joint operation conducted by the National Investigation Agency Enforcement Directorate and state police forces across 15 states in the countrys multiple locations according to the sourcesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever