GG News Bureau
Bhubaneswar, 21st August. A day-long Bharat Bandh called by various Dalit and Adivasi groups to protest the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) partially disrupted rail and road services across Odisha on Wednesday.
While government offices, banks, business establishments, and educational institutions operated normally, police reported disruptions in transportation. Security was heightened at the state secretariat, heads of department buildings, and other key locations across the state.
The Home Department had issued a note on Tuesday advising officers and employees of various departments in the state secretariat to reach office by 9:30 AM. Despite this advisory, protestors managed to halt several trains and block roads at various points.
In Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur, agitators detained trains, including the Visakha Express at Bhubaneswar railway station and the Sambalpur-Puri and Sambalpur-Rayagada trains at Khetrajpur station in Sambalpur. Train operations resumed after police cleared the tracks.
Road blockades were reported from several districts, including Cuttack, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Malkangiri, Sundergarh, and Keonjhar, causing significant inconvenience to commuters.
The Bharat Bandh was called by 21 organizations nationwide, opposing the Supreme Court order that they claim undermines the basic principles of reservation.
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