Members of pro-Kannada organisations and traders protested against the sudden shifting of the Bescom office from Anderson Pete here on Friday.

The Bescom office was inaugurated on February 25 in 2007, by former MLA S Rajendran at Anderson Pete. The office was located in a very convenient place and consumers from Anderson Pete, Marikuppan, Champions Reef and the surrounding rural areas found it extremely useful to get their work done.

However, when the Bescom staff members on Friday, suddenly began shifting the office and all the office materials in a lorry, the members of the Kannada Sanghas, traders and citizens tried to stop the lorry and protested the shifting. The members protested for about two hours and when the Bescom officials did not budge, they observed a rasta roko at the Anderson Pete Circle.

The Bescom executive engineer, who arrived on the spot, explained to the protesting members that the Bescom office was being shifted from the present building to another building, since the rent paid to the present building was high. There was no other reason behind the shifting, he assured.

The members later on gave up the protest. Kannada Sangha leader Venkatesh Gowda, president of the Traders Association Kamalabai and others took part in the protest.