Section 144 clamped in Rourkela after protests during return car

Personnel of the Special Operation Group were also kept on standby for any emergency situation

Prohibitory orders were imposed and security tightened as tension prevailed in this steel city today, a day after protests and road blockade by a group during Lord Jagannath's Bahuda Yatra (return car festival).

Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC were clamped from Ambedkar Chak at Uditnagar up to Madhusudan Marg and security personnel in strength deployed as a precautionary measure, said SP, Rourkela, Anirudh Singh.

Personnel of the Special Operation Group (SOG) were also kept on standby for any emergency situation, he said.

Tension was palpable near Uditnagar, Daily Market, Mahatab Road and Madhusudan Marg areas, while shops and business establishments remained closed in areas where section 144 was clamped. Some schools and offices also remained closed, the police said.

Meanwhile, the district administration held an all community peace committee meeting, which was chaired by Sundergarh District Collector, B S Punia.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Rourkela, Manisha Banarjee said the meeting was fruitful and positive as all promised to maintain peace and harmony.

The VHP has called for a 12-hour bandh in the city tomorrow here in protest against alleged attempt to disrupt Lord Jagannath's Bahuda Yatra yesterday.

The dawn-to-dusk shut-down would be peaceful, said senior VHP leader Amulya Mishra.