Odisha: Sporadic violence during BJD’s hartal, ‘ashamed’ Baijayant Panda says ‘heads must roll’
Normal life was disrupted across Odisha and sporadic violence reported during a five- hour ‘hartal’ called by the ruling BJD to protest hike in petrol and diesel prices.
Shops, business establishments and several educational institutions remained shut in Bhubaneshwar and elsewhere in the state during the ‘hartal’ from 7 am to 12 pm.Vehicular movement came to a grinding halt and roads wore a deserted look as vehicles including passenger buses kept off the roads leaving a large number of people stranded at bus stands, police said. Train services were also affected for some time as BJD activists staged rail roko at some places including at Berhampur and Puri, official sources said. Hartal supporters picketed and put up road blockade at major junctions in the state capital by burning tyres. Several activists carrying sticks were seen preventing people from moving on roads. Several vehicles were attacked with sticks and stones at some places and damaged, while the picketeers allegedly heckled commuters in some localities here, the sources said. Ambulances were stopped at some places and asked to take different routs though BJD had called for a peaceful hartal keeping essential and kept emergency services like hospitals out of its purview.
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