WEDNESDAY, 09 MAY
2012 00:02
PNS | SAMBALPUR/
BHAWANIPATNA/ BALANGIR
HITS: 15
·
·
·
The western Odisha bandh called by the Central Action Committee of
the Western Odisha Lawyers’ Association in support of the demands of the
Sambalpur lawyers for arrest of district collector Mrinalini Darswal and
judicial probe into the April 23 conflict passed off peacefully in ten western
Odisha districts on Tuesday, barring an unpleasant incident in Dharmagarh in
Kalahandi district where the agitators locked the office of the sub-collector
when she was present in the office.
While members of the Sambalpur District Bar Association
sat in dharna before the office of the Collector and the Revenue Divisional
Commissioner, schools, colleges, business establishments, Government offices,
banks and courts remained closed during the 12-hour bandh.
“However, looking into the interest of the people and the
festive season due to marriages, transport system including buses and trains
were spared from the bandh,” Pramod Rath, president of the Sambalpur district
Bar, said. Several other organisations and political groups of the area have
also come forward to lend their support.
Judicial activity in Cuttack were paralysed as lawyers of
the city, including those of the High Court, boycotted courts following a call
given by the Odisha High Court Bar Association in support of the cause of the
western Odisha lawyers.
Following the incident on April 23, Sambalpur continues in
the grip of tension with advocates and Government officials locking horns with
each other.
In Kalahandi district, markets remained closed at
Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters as well as other blocks since morning.
While buses remained off the road, passengers were seen
waiting at the bus-stops under scorching heat. The lawyers picketed at the
State Bank of India and other nationalised banks and Government offices. They
boycotted court work for which the court remained closed for the entire day.
Kalahandi Bar Association members demonstrated before the
Collector’s office and demanded a judicial inquiry into the April 23 incident
with the arrest of the Sambalpur Collector. Police forces were deployed
at each square in the town to ward off any possible untoward incident. Reports
from other blocks were still awaited.
The bandh also passed off peacefully with no reports of
any untoward incident in Balangir district.
Supporting the call, members of Balangir District Bar
Association had given a Balangir bandh call on Tuesday.
Shops and other business establishments remained closed.
However, buses were plying. The agitating lawyers staged dharna before the Collectorate.
“We condemn the attack on advocates in Sambalpur. We
demand action against the Sambalpur Collector and we demand a judicial inquiry
into the incident,” said advocate Ashok Mahanty.
Massive police deployments were made all over western
Odisha including Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Kalahandi,
Rourkela, Dharmagarh, Balangir, Bhawanipatna and other small towns to avert any
untoward incident. The bandh was almost peaceful, police sources said.
No comments:
Post a Comment