Bharat Bandh hits normal life in Karnataka

The nationwide bandh call given by the Congress and other opposition parties received a good response affecting normal life in Karnataka with private buses remaining off the road and shops closed on Monday morning. Following clashes in Udupi, Tahsildar Pradeep Kurdekar has clamped Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 CrPC, across Udupi municipal jurisdiction.

Namma Metro services unaffected.
(DH Photo/Poornima Nataraj)

Bengaluru

Private vehicles hit the road in Bengaluru on Monday morning. Though BMTC services are shut down, Metro is unaffected.

Mangaluru

Taking advantage of the situation, a few auto drivers fleeced passengers, demanding exorbitant fares at railway stations and KSRTC bus stand in Mangaluru.

Miscreants pelted stones on a long-route KSRTC bus at BC Road in Bantwal and a private bus at Balmatta in Mangaluru. Tyres were also burnt on the middle of the road at a few places in Dakshina Kannada district.

Miscreants pelted stones at a private bus at Balmatta in
Mangaluru. (DH Photo/Govindraj Javali)

Majority of the business establishments and hotels remain closed. The roads in Mangaluru wear a deserted look with just a few private cars and two-wheelers plying. A few organisations, including members of Congress blocked the road at Ambedkar Circle (Jyothi Circle).

Kalaburagi

The members of Congress party staged a protest and set fire to a tyre at the Central Bus Stand in the city.

Schools and colleges remain closed as the district administration had declared a holiday. All official programmes and meetings have also been cancelled.

NEKRTC

The North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation has suspended all bus services.

Mysuru

Bharath Bandh received a mixed response in the city on Monday.

While KSRTC is off the road, the movement of private vehicles is normal. Though a few petrol bunks were closed early in the morning, they were opened later. Hotels and shops are open.

As per the order of Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Sankar, schools and colleges are closed.

However, Congress party workers along with the members of organisations are staging protests in parts of the city.

Hubballi

Bandh is almost total in the city.

The Chennamma Circle area and market areas remain closed. NWKRTC and Bendre buses are not running.

Otherwise busy Chennamma Circle in Hubballi looks deserted
due to Bharat Bandh on Monday. (DH Photo)

Congress workers began protesting by 6:30 am by burning a tyre. They then cleaned the ashes along with the police.

JD(S) staged a protest at Chennamma Circle.

CITU, pro-Kannada organisations and Mahadayi agitators stage separate protests.

Autos that were plying were stopped by protesters. They also forced a few shop-keepers to down the shutters.

Hospitals and medical shops are unaffected.

Belagavi

The bandh to protest against the rising prices of fuel called by the Congress, and its alliance partners, received a mixed response in Belagavi city, on Monday.

Small businesses remained open, but the public transport system including city buses of North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and maxi-cabs remained off roads. Commuters were inconvenienced. Very few auto-rickshaws were seen on the roads. Private vehicles were rarely spotted.

Medical shops, private and government hospitals, shops selling essentials like milk remained open. Pavement food stalls and few restaurants remained open. People working in private establishments attended work. A holiday was declared for schools and colleges. Traffic on city roads was thin even during peak hours and the usual jams were missing.

Former MLA Feroz Sait who led the protest at Channamma Circle on Monday, strongly condemned the Union government for the rise in fuel prices. "People at the helm of affairs have reduced the government to a profit making company," he criticised.

JD(S) and Congress workers formed a human chain at Channamma Circle and blocked traffic.

The bandh call also garnered support from pro-Kannada organisations. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists (Praveen Shetty faction) took out a bullock cart protest to mock the Union government.

Banks, government offices functioned as usual. Essential services like hospitals, medical shops, petrol bunks remained unaffected.

Police security was deployed in strength. No untoward incidents were reported.

No NWKRTC services

NWKRTC buses remained off roads. The central bus stand and city bus terminus wore a deserted look. Few passengers awaiting mofussil buses were spotted.

Udupi

Udupi police resorted to a lathi charge following a clash between Congress and BJP workers during the bandh on Monday.

Congress and BJP workers clashed and pelted stones at each other, during a protest rally. The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

#Udupi police resorted to lathi charge following a clash between @INCKarnataka and @BJP4Karnataka workers during #BharatBandh as they pelted stones during a protest rally. | #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/upZgbf5xYC

— Deccan Herald (@DeccanHerald) September 10, 2018

1

Following clashes in Udupi, Tahsildar Pradeep Kurdekar has clamped Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 CrPC, across Udupi municipal jurisdiction till September 11, 6 am. Public meetings, assembly of five or more persons and processions are banned.

MLA's car stoned

Miscreants pelted stones at the car in which Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik was travelling at Bolangady, in Bantwal, on Monday. BJP workers took out a protest march to Bantwal town police station against the attack.

Offbeat protests

While MLC Ivan D'Souza rode a bullock cart to protest against rise in prices of fuel, in Mangaluru, on Monday, the Hubballi Autorickshaw Owners' & Drivers' Association took out a mock funeral procession of the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders, in Hubballi, and later set fire to the effigies.

ALSO READ

Public transport to be disrupted in Bengaluru

With govt support, bandh likely to cripple normal life