Kasargod: minister asks cops to prevent violence at all cost

Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Saturday said he had asked the state police to go to any extent to contain the communal violence...

Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Saturday said he had asked the state police to go to any extent to contain the communal violence in Kasargod that had already left four dead in five days. The town, however, remained relatively calm on Saturday with no fresh violence reported from any parts.

The police, he said, had been asked to open fire at miscreants if necessary. Police sources insisted this did not imply shoot-at-sight orders. “Instructions have been given to police officers to check recurrence of violence at all costs and no one would be allowed to interfere with efforts to curb violence,” the Minister, who was in Kasargod to oversee peace bids and review the policing, said.

Balakrishnan was closeted with several local religious and political leaders individually during the day, before presiding over a collective all-party peace meeting. The minister said over 45 people had been taken into preventive custody and many were under surveillance.

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For the first time in three days, a few autorickshaws plied in peaceful areas of the town on Saturday evening. This was after prohibitory orders were tentatively relaxed for three hours. The state road transport corporation plied some buses in the evening under police escort, but skirted trouble-prone areas.

The district administration said the KSRTC buses would be withdrawn if they came under attack. Shops would be allowed to open and private buses would begin plying on Sunday if the tenuous peace on Saturday held out. The prohibitive orders, however, would remain in force until reviewed, sources added.