Keonjhar: Normal life was disrupted in Keonjhar district Tuesday as all government offices, educational institutions and banks remained closed while vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt in many parts of the district during the 12-hour bandh call given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Tuesday in protest against the alleged rape of a tribal and differently-abled minor girl. According to police, the girl was allegedly raped under Banshpal block November 15 and is currently undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital (DHH).
A man from the Muslim community in West Bengal has been arrested in connection with the case.
The bandh, aimed at demanding the identification and expulsion of alleged infiltrators and anti-social elements from the district, passed off peacefully Tuesday, said sources.
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Many shopkeepers voluntarily shut down shutters, and markets remained closed in support of the call.
Activists held peaceful demonstrations at locations including Gandhi Square and the Collectorate, carrying flags and chanting slogans such as “Hindu-Hindu Bhai Bhai” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jay.”
All the shops, markets, schools, colleges, government offices, banks, and post offices, except for essential services, remained shut in the town.
Traffic on National Highways 20, 49 and 520 came to a halt.
Senior police officials, including Additional SP Jyotirmaya Bhukta, SDPO Sudarshan Gangoi, Town Police Station IIC Srikant Sahu, Barbil police station IIC Ashok Sahu and inspector Bijay Kumar Bihari, monitored the situation across the town.
VHP district president Tusharkant Samant reiterated the demand to identify and remove infiltrators from the district.
Senior member Debaraj Acharya said such elements have long been involved in criminal and disruptive activities but no action has been taken despite repeated appeals.
Under the leadership of district secretary Saptakeswar Sahu, members, including Basant Kumar Dani, Kedar Dash, Biswajit Tripathy, Barada Sahu, Niranjan Palei, Saiba Mohanta, Pranab Behera, Mamina Radhus, Subrat Mohanty, Dambaru Mohanta, Babuli Nayak and Ranjan Sahu, along with hundreds of activists from various other outfits, joined the protest.
The bandh also affected Champua, Joda, Barbil, Patana, Ghasipura and Anandapur areas. VHP members picketed at multiple locations as police deployed forces across the district. The Rourkela DIG and other senior officers oversaw security arrangements.
Western Range DIG of police (Rourkela) Brijesh Kumar Rai, who was in Keonjhar to supervise the whole law and order situation during the bandh, said, “No untoward incident happened during the bandh.
We will look into the demands of the protesters. Police arrested the accused and is working to provide justice to the victim’s family.”