Phulbani: Life came to a standstill at G Udayagiri in Kandhamal district on Saturday owing to a dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by Kui Dina Manch seeking fulfillment of their three-point charter of demands.
Almost all shops, commercial establishments and offices remained shut while vehicles stayed off the roads in response to the strike.
Agitators staged demonstrations and blocked major junctions by burning tyres and placing bamboo sticks on the roads.
“The Manch demands justice to a local youth who was murdered on March 9 last month by some persons of the village and immediate arrested of the culprits. We also demand immediate closure of all the liquor shops in the locality”, an agitators said.
The protest will be intensified in the days to come, if the demands are not met at the earliest, the agitator added.
On March 9, one Deshanta Pradhan of Malikapada had a heated exchange of words with a hotel businessman over some issue. The argument between the duo turned ugly and during the scuffle, Pradhan came in front of a truck passing through the road. He died on the spot.
However, Pradhan’s family members had lodged a complaint at G Udayagiri police station alleging the his murder was pre-planned.
Basing on the complaint, police arrested a person.
