Baripada: Normal life was affected in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district Monday as the BJP called a bandh over the power cut when President Droupadi Murmu was addressing a function here earlier this month.
The BJP called the bandh for 12 hours in district headquarters Baripada, and six hours in other parts of Mayurbhanj, demanding action against officials responsible for the outage.
The power outage happened when Murmu was addressing the convocation ceremony of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanjdeo University May 6, during her three-day visit to Mayurbhanj, her native place.
The BJP alleged that Murmu’s security was compromised because of the outage, which plunged the venue into darkness.
Buses were off the roads, while government offices and banks were closed during the bandh. Markets and commercial establishments were also shut.
However, it was business as usual at the Baripada court.
Hundreds of vehicles, including trucks, were stranded on national highways 18 and 49 as BJP supporters blocked the roads.
Local BJP MLA Prakash Soren and its district president Kandra Soren along with other party functionaries picketed in front of the District Collectorate.
No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district during the bandh, police said.
PTI
