Bhubaneswar: Bandh cripples life; BJP, BJD engage in violence

A 12-hour-long bandh in Odisha's capital city, Bhubaneswar, threw life out of gear on Wednesday. The bandh was called by the main opposition party, BJP

Bhubaneswar, Dec 21: Life came to a standstill in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Wednesday, after the Bharatiya Janata Party called for a 12-hour-long bandh in the state capital on Wednesday.

Due to the bandh, most government offices and educational institutions either remained closed or witnessed low attendance. Vehicles also remained off the roads, causing great inconvenience to commuters.

The bandh was called by the state's main opposition party BJP to protest over the alleged link of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Mayor Ananta Jena in a sex tape scandal. Jena is also alleged to be involved in the murder of an engineering student.

The bandh was marked by violence. According to media reports, scuffle broke out between the BJP and the ruling Biju Janata Dal workers. Police was called in to disperse the protesting crowd.

"This is gundaraj (rule by criminals). We want justice for the student who was murdered. The Mayor is involved and the CM (Naveen Patnaik) is protecting him," BJP leader Samir Dey told ANI.

OneIndia News