12-hour bandh call given by VHP, BJP over communal violence evokes mixed response in Odisha 

The 12-hour-bandh call given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Sangh Parivar organisations in 14 districts of Odisha on Wednesday protesting against the attack on bike rally taken out in the run-up to Hanuman Jayanti celebration in Sambalpur evoked mixed response.

The 12-hour-bandh call given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Sangh Parivar organisations in 14 districts of Odisha on Wednesday protesting against the attack on bike rally taken out in the run-up to Hanuman Jayanti celebration in Sambalpur evoked mixed response.

The bandh that started at 6 a.m. is continuing in Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, and Rayagada districts.

The bandh had a total impact in Sambalpur, where shops and business establishments remained closed.

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Members of VHP, Bajrang Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party were seen enforcing the bandh. There was no report of any violence from districts where a bandh was observed.

The streets wore a deserted look while people remained behind closed doors largely because of the heat wave condition prevailing across the State. The bus service was affected and government employees were stopped from attending offices at some places.

The communal tension between Hindus and Muslims surfaced when a bike rally taken out in the run-up to the Hanuman Jayanti celebration was pelted with stones on April 12.