: The day-long Odisha bandh called by the Congress demanding a judicial inquiry into the mismanagement in the Brahma Parivartan (transfer of soul substance from the old idols to new ones) rituals relating to Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath evoked total response in the State on Friday.
Hundreds of Congress leaders and workers were arrested from different places in the State while enforcing the dawn-to-dusk bandh. The bandh was successful at almost all towns in all the regions of Odisha.
Hundreds of people were seen stranded at bus stands and railway stations as train and bus services were disrupted, as Congress workers and leaders blocked railway tracks and roads at different places since morning.
Several passenger trains were cancelled and short-terminated due to the bandh.
Raising slogans against the BJD Government’s alleged failure to prevent the fiasco that caused inordinate delay in the Brahma Parivartan rituals last week, Congress leaders demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the High Court as well as resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
All shops and business establishments remained closed and vehicular movement came to a halt across Odisha. Almost all educational institutions too remained closed and many examinations were postponed due to the bandh.
The bandh passed off by and large peacefully with few incidents of stone pelting, damage caused to vehicles by bandh supporters.
A Block Development Officer and a clerk, however, sustained injuries when Congress supporters entered their office to enforce the bandh in Jagatsinghpur district. Congress activists also ransacked a few government offices at Dhenkanal.
In another incident, some shopkeepers and residents of Shastri Nagar locality of Bhubaneswar, said to be supporters of the ruling BJD, burnt two motorcycles of Congress activists who were enforcing the bandh.
The impact of the bandh was felt the most in Bhubaneswar where Congress leaders and workers were led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan and many senior leaders of the party.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik could not come out of Naveen Nivas, his private home, till noon to attend office. He reached the State Secretariat only at 12.35 pm after Mr. Harichandan and many of his senior party colleagues and Mahila Congress leaders and activists were arrested for blocking the road to the Secretariat.
Tight security arrangements were made in Bhubaneswar and other places to prevent any major untoward incident during the bandh.
All wings of the Congress were found active during the bandh. Essential services and construction of chariots of the deities in Puri were kept out of the bandh purview.
OPCC president Congress Prasad Harichandan and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Narasingha Mishra thanked the people for their spontaneous support to make the bandh total and successful.
Holding Chief Minister Mr. Patnaik responsible for the fiasco, Mr. Mishra said Mr. Patnaik should resign without delay for hurting the sentiments of the millions of devotees of Lord Jagannath and maintaining silence over the issue.
