Tension gripped Odisha’s Cuttack on Monday as a 12-hour bandh brought the city to a standstill amid heavy police deployment and prohibitory orders following violence during Durga Puja immersion processions and subsequent clashes between Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists and police. The prohibitory orders were issued Sunday night in 13 of the 20 police station areas of the city, officials said.
Internet services were also suspended for 24 hours, from 7 pm on Sunday, to prevent a flare-up, they said. Clashes broke out in the early hours of Saturday near Haathi Pokhari in the Daraghabazar area as locals objected to loud music being played in immersion processions. What started as an argument soon escalated, leading to the hurling of stones and glass bottles.
Six people, including Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo, were injured in the clashes. Alleging that the police failed to stop the attack on the processions, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) called a 12-hour bandh on Monday. Sunday, a motorcycle rally by VHP activists in support of the bandh was stopped by the police when they reached the trouble-torn area, leading to a fresh bout of violence.
Twenty-five people, including eight policemen, were injured. Several shops in the Gourishankar Park area were allegedly set on fire. The bandh, which began at 6 am, evoked a mixed response. Government offices and educational institutions were functioning with thin attendance. Markets and petrol pumps remained open, and public transport was available on the road, but less than usual due to the slew of restrictions.
ACP Narasingha Bhol claimed the situation has been normal since the morning. He said 1,800 personnel of the state police have been deployed along with around 800 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and Odisha Swift Action Force in the city. Police patrols are continuing in sensitive areas, he said, adding that restrictions have also been imposed on entry into the city.
