Many shops remained closed in Coimbatore on Friday in response to bandh call given by political parties. | Photo Credit: M. Periasamy more-in A good number of commercial establishments remained open, buses plied as usual but traffic on city roads was less on Friday, the day a few political parties had given a ‘bandh’ call to condemn the killing of 13 persons in Thoothukudi on May 22 and 23. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadre staged a protest in Gandhipuram and North Coimbatore demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran, holding them responsible for the deaths. According to sources, big commercial establishments like textile shops, department stores, jewellery shops and restaurants, big and small, remained open. Some of them had partially pulled down their shutters as a precautionary measure. A good number of shops on Dr. Nanjappa Road, in Kattoor, Sivananda Colony and a few other areas in the city and in Periyanaickenpalayam, Perur, Mettupalayam, Pollachi, Valparai and a few other rural areas remained shut, though. However in East Coimbatore, a number of establishments remained closed. Only a few tiny, small and medium industries in Rathinapuri and Ganapathy were open as various industry associations had supported the political parties’ bandh call. Sources in the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation said that there was a good ‘shedding out’ of buses as many drivers and conductors had reported for duty. Only those who were members of the DMK’s Labour Progressive Front and other unions affiliated to parties that had supported the bandh call were not present. The corporation operated buses to Kerala and Karnataka. Autorickshaws, however, remained off road. The Autorickshaw Drivers’ Unions put the number of vehicles off road at over 5,000. In Coimbatore, the Draivda Munnetra Kazhagam led by former Minister and party’s wealth protection committee head Pongalur N. Palanisamy staged a protest near the town bus stand. They shouted slogans demanding the Chief Minister’s and DGP’s resignation and also sought the closure of the Sterlite industry. As they exited the bus stand and blocked the road, the Coimbatore City Police personnel on duty, removed them and took them away. Around 100 persons participated in the protest. The party cadre led by north district secretary in-charge Muthusamy staged a protest near the party office in North Coimbatore. As they attempted to block the Cross Cut Road, the police removed them. They said they had removed around 80 protesters. In Gandhipuram, around 10 transgenders staged a protest in front of the Tamil Nadu Hotel. They sought closure of the unit. The Coimbatore City and Rural police said no untoward incident was reported. Farmers stage walkout Farmers, who went to the Coimbatore Collectorate to participate in the monthly farmers’ grievance meeting, staged a walkout after presenting a petition to the District Revenue Officer Durai Ravichandran. Head of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Associations Palanisamy said the farmers wore black towels as a mark of protest to condemn the killing of 13 persons in the police firing in Thoothukudi. The farmers wanted the Coimbatore district administration to close down industries in Coimbatore that polluted the environment.

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