Normal life hit by Cong bandh in Odisha

Normal life was paralysed across Odisha today due to a 12-hour bandh called by Congress in protest against mismanagement in Lord Jagannath's 'Brahma Paribartan' ritual and demanding a judicial probe into the episode, for which the state government was attacked.
The bandh was by and large peaceful though over 200 activists were arrested from different places of the state.
In Bhubaneswar, around 100 people, including Odisha PCC president Prasad Harichandan, its former chief Jayadev Jena, besides party leaders Suresh Routray and Chiranjibi Biswal were arrested for violating prohitory orders, Commissioner of Police R P Sharma said.
A scuffle was reported between the police and bandh supporters when a group of Youth Congress activists tried to enter the State Secretariat premises. In Shastri Nagar area of Bhubaneswar, angry locals torched two motor-cycles and damaged several vehicles, police said.

Shops and business establishments were closed across the state as the shutdown evoked spontaneous resonse and vehicular traffic came to a halt as protestors burnt tyres to block roads at various places.
Train services were disrupted as Congress activists staged demonstrations and blocked tracks in several places including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul, Bhadrak, Balasore, Khurda Road, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Paradip and Dhenkanal in the morning, East Coast Railway said.

While around half-a-dozen passenger trains were cancelled during the dawn-to-dusk shutdown, about five trains were short terminated. Some trains were delayed and rescheduled leaving many passengers stranded.
Essential and emergency services were kept out of the bandh purview.

As a precautionary measure, police tightened security in the state capital and other places. Police personnel in strength were deployed near the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Law minister Arun Sahoo, and other ministers and officers, the police commissioner said.
Reports from the districts said an ambulance was attacked by miscreants at Nayagarh, while a group stormed into Biridi block office. Violence was also reported from Dhenkanal where some offices were ransacked by bandh supporters.
Holding the BJD government in the state responsible for utter mismanagement in 'Brahma Paribartan', the most sacred and secret ritual of 'Nabakalebar' festival of Lord Jagannath, the PCC chief thanked the prople for its 'overwhelming support' to the bandh.