Kunduli Rape Victim Suicide: 12-Hour Bandh, Hartal Disrupt Life In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Vehicular traffic and train services were disrupted while trading establishments and educational institutions remained closed in almost all parts of Odisha on Wednesday morning due to 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by the Congress and 12-hour dawn-to-dusk hartal given by the BJP in protest against the suicide of minor gang-rape victim in Koraput district.

Sources said the Congress activists staged rail roko in Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Jeypore and Soro.

In Sambalpur, the Sambapur-Puri and Sambalpur-Rayagada Intercity Express trains were detained as the Congress activists staged rail roko at the railway station. Besides, the Congress and BJP activists staged road blockade in different parts of the city.

In Cuttack, the Congress activists blocked the National Highway at Link Road while the BJP activists staged road blockade at Buxi Bazar Chhak.

In Bhubaneswar, the activists detained Bangalore-Tinsukia Superfast Express at the railway station. Several passengers were stranded at Baramunda bus stand as vehicular traffic came to a standstill.

At least 80 BJP activists were arrested by the police while staging road blockade at Jayadev Vihar and Master Canteen Square. Police also arrested BJP activists as they tried to enter into the State Secretariat.

However, the bandh was not observed at Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district due to the Urs festival observed by the Muslims who thronged the area in large numbers, said Bhadrak District Congress Committee president.

In Puri, the agitators detained Puri-Cuttack DMU at the railway station. The Congress activists staged demonstration near the bus stand.

In Jagatsinghpur, the Congress workers demonstrated at the bus stand and blocked the road by burning tyres.

In Nabarangpur, the Congress and BJP activists staged road blockade on National Highway-20.

In Balasore, all trading establishments, educational institutions and government offices remained closed.

The bandh was total In Keonjhar as all trading houses were shut down and vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt.

In Rayagada district, the CPI-ML activists staged road blockader near the overbridge square in Gunupur.

Besides, the bandh also disrupted normal life in Rourkela, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda andBargarh, the sources added.