Bandh over police action against traders

United News of India

Jharsuguda, Dec 11: A 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh was observed Thursday against police action on some businessmen of the town. The bandh passed off peacefully.

Police had arrested some persons, including a few businessmen, in connection with a case during Ganesh Puja when people had seized beef from the town and handed it over to police. The town had witnessed tension as activists of the VHP and Bajarang Dal raised the cow slaughter issue, but the matter subsided. However, the issue again snowballed into a controversy after an unpleasant incident in the town this week.

The meeting of the peace committee, convened to defuse tension, failed to resolve the issue. Some people pelted stones at the police station when the peace committee meeting was going on inside the police station premises. Police suspected the role of VHP and BJP activists in the matter and arrested some of them. VHP and the BJP activists, protesting the alleged one-side police action, extended their full support to the bandh call.