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Orissa bandh disrupts life in state

Normal life was affected in Orissa today following a dawn-to-dusk statewide bandh called by five major opposition political parties in protest againstAnjana Mishra's gang-rape and to demand the dismissal of the J B Patnaik government.

Reports reaching Bhubaneswar said train services were badly affected, both government and private buses were off the road and major business establishments remained closed at several places.

Educational institutions and banks were also closed while attendance in government offices was reported to be normal.

More than one thousand bandh supporters were arrested in the city. They included all senior leaders of the five parties -- Janata Dal, CPI, CPI-M, BJD and the BJP.

According to state home secretary Sanjeeb Hota, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state.

The authorities deployed 20 platoons of police forces in the state capital and clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC before the state secretariat and other important places to maintain law and order.

Scuffles between bandh supporters and Congress workers over the closure of shops during the bandh were reported from certain places. Over 300 supporters belonging to the CPI, CPI-M and CPI-ML along with their leaders were also arrested from different places in the state capital.

Train services in the state were seriously affected as most trains were either cancelled or detained at various stations. Some long distance trains were rescheduled as agitators squatted on the tracks.

Railway sources said the Puri-Cuttack, Howrah-Puri, Bhubaneswar- Balagaon, Khurda-Puri, the Khurda-Palasa passenger and the Dhouli Express were cancelled. The Puri-New Delhi Neelachal Express and the Rajdhani Express were rescheduled to leave at 1700 hrs and 1830 hrs respectively. The Phulkanama Express was detained at Berhampur, the Howrah-Tirupati express at Bhadrak, and the Hirakhand Express was detained at Balugaon.

A report from Sambalpur said life was affected in western Orissa due to the bandh and shops, business establishments, insurance offices, banks and educational institutions, including the Sambalpur University were closed.

However, the offices of the revenue divisional commissioner, the posts and telegraph offices and industrial establishments were functioning normally.

Bandh supporters burnt effigies of Patnaik at various parts of Sambalpur city even as six platoons of police were deployed to maintain law and order.

Train services between Jharsuguda and Titilagarh were affected and buses were off the road, the report said. Police rounded up 150 bandh supporters from various places, it added.

In Cuttack all major business establishments, including the Malgodown, the wholesale market and educational institutions were closed and government offices reported thin attendance.

Party sources said police arrested more than 150 activists of the BJP, BJD and CPI while they were demonstrating in various parts of the city, including the Badambadi bus terminus and the high court and collectorate.

Functioning of the high court was paralysed for the third day today as the lawyers boycotted the court alleging disturbing condition in the city following widespread demonstrations in protest against the gangrape.

A Balesore report said life was affected in north Orissa following the bandh. Vehicles were off the road and business establishments, banks and educational institutions remained closed.

The bandh was, however, not observed in tribal dominated Mayurbhanj district where the people observed Makar Sankranti. The district would observe a bandh on January 18. Similarly Rayagada district was also excluded from the purview of the bandh because of Pongal festival.

UNI

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