Over 900 taken into custody after violent protests in Kerala

Over 900 people have been detained in Kerala in connection with the April 16 strike, said police on Wednesday.

The strike was called by different groups in protest against Kathua rape case.

Earlier, Widespread violence was witnessed in Kerala on Monday after protesters poured into the streets to enforce a shutdown on the people demanding justice for the eight-year-old girl who was gang-raped and murdered in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir despite the fact that no recognised organisation had given a call for the protest.

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Several incidents of stone-pelting, blocking of vehicles, clash with the police and forced closure of shops were reported from different places, especially in the northern Malabar region, even as the departure of flights got delayed from the Kozhikode International Airport as pilots got trapped in traffic blocks created by the protestors.

Shop-owners chose to keep the shutters of their outlets down and vehicles kept off the roads in areas known as strongholds of the Muslim League and SDPI in Kannur. An official with the Kannur police said the protests in the district seemed well-coordinated despite the fact that there was no formal call for a hartal.

(With inputs from Agencies)