MADURAI/COIMBATORE: Miscreants torched a TNSTC bus in Tuticorin on Friday evening, even before its passengers could climb down. Three passengers suffered injuries in the incident and were taken to the hospital.With a statewide bandh called by opposition parties on Friday in protest against the Tuticorin police firing, the miscreants are suspected to be members of groups or parties supporting the bandh.The bus which originated from Udankudi was on its way to Tirunelveli when the incident happened. It was stopped by three men who came on two bikes at Karungulam bridge near Srivaikundam. They attacked a lone policeman posted as security and chased him away. They then set the bus on fire even before the passengers had got down. They poured petrol on the back seat and set it on fire. The injured were Sudalaikannu, 70, of Meignanapuram and his wife Valliammal and Jabakumar, 25, of Karaikudi. Police sources said that Valliammal has suffered serious burns.In Coimbatore, the anti-Sterlite bandh called by the DMK and other opposition parties was near total with about 80% shops downing shutters in the district. But for essential services like pharmacies, all the shops and hotels remained closed till evening. While government buses plied as usual, a section of private buses and majority of auto rickshaws too kept off the roads expressing solidarity with the protesters and condemning the government for the police shootouts. Government offices, however, functioned as usual though the number of public visiting them was low. There were sporadic protests mostly by DMK cadre condemning the arrest of the party working president MK Stalin in Chennai. Advocates boycotted the courts for the second day while farmers boycotted the monthly grievances redressal day meeting in the district collectorate. Tamil Maanila Congress chief GK Vasan, who was in Coimbatore, told reporters that shutting down Sterlite plant in Tuticorin was the only solution to quell the protests. "Rather than approaching the issue with a political perspective, the government should handle it with a humanitarian perspective. The Sterlite plant should be immediately shutdown and the arrested protesters from Tuticorin should be released," he said.In Madurai, the bandh called by the DMK and its allies received a lukewarm response with a majority of shop owners and commuters going about their business as usual. About 90% of the shops remained open. However, some support could be seen in the rural pockets of Madurai as 20% of the shops downed shutters. As the transport was not affected seriously, people faced no trouble in reaching their workplace.

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