The Odisha bandh called by opposition Congress to highlight its demand for 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 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 affected normal life as train and bus services were disrupted during the shut-down with Congress workers and leaders blocking railway tracks, bus stands and roads in different places since morning.
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Raising slogans against the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Government’s alleged failure to prevent the fiasco that caused inordinate delay in the Brahma Parivartan a few days ago, the 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 in different places across the State. Almost all the educational institutions too remained closed due to the bandh and many examinations were postponed for the 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.
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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 other 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 came to the State Secretariat only at 12.35 p.m. 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.
The bandh passed off by and large peacefully with a few incidents of stone pelting, damage caused to vehicles by bandh supporters reported from Bhubaneswar and other places.
In another incident, however, a Block Development Officer and a clerk were injured when Congress supporters entered their office to enforce the bandh in Jagatsinghpur district.
In a peculiar incident, some shopkeepers and residents of Shastri Nagar locality of the Capital city of Bhubaneswar, said to be supporters of the ruling BJD, burnt down two motorcycles of Congress activists who were enforcing the bandh.
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.