Kozhikode: The Congress party will observe a hartal in Kozhikode district on Sunday in response to the violent clashes that erupted during the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank election on Saturday.

The hartal will be observed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Essential services will be exempted from the hartal. The altercations, which involved Congress party members and rebel factions backed by CPM, led to a temporary suspension of voting and intense confrontations in the area.

The election, which was supposed to be a peaceful democratic exercise, quickly descended into chaos as accusations of fake voting were exchanged between the two sides. Tensions escalated to the point where police were forced to intervene, resorting to a lathi charge to control the situation and restore order.

Congress MP M K Raghavan has accused the ruling CPM of supporting the rebel factions. Protests by Congress workers followed, with party leaders criticizing the actions of the police and accusing the authorities of turning a blind eye to irregularities during the election process.

(More details awaited)