Bengaluru bandh largely peaceful; educational institutions remain shut, buses see a dip in passenger flow

The bandh in Bengaluru on Tuesday largely remained peaceful as most of the residents stayed at home and schools and colleges remained shut. While public transport such as BMTC, Metro trains, some autos and cabs were seen plying as usual, passengers were few and far between. 

While protestors gathering in other parts of the city such as the Town Hall, Mysore Bank Circle and Jnanabharathi were either detained and or redirected to Freedom Park, two people barged into the 'Udupi Hub' hotel in Jayanagar, pelted stones at a glass table and fled the spot. The incident was caught on CCTV, where the duo allegedly shouted, “It is Bengaluru bandh today, shut the doors' .   

Based on the complaint, the police detained two suspects and will take appropriate action, Bengaluru South Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad, said.  

The police maintained law and order and members of several organisations, including Jaya Karnataka, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and others were detained as soon as they gathered at the Town Hall and moved to Freedom Park. 

According to S Girish, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bengaluru West, 180 people under his division were detained on Monday evening as a preventive measure. 

"The detainees include several prominent rowdy sheeters and those who were part of earlier Cauvery protests," the DCP said. "They are at different stations and will be released once the situation eases." 

T A Narayana Gowda, the state president of Karnataka Rakshina Vedike, and farmer leader Kuruburu Shantakumar were also detained during the day. 

"A few people protested at Jnanabharathi before being removed," Girish said. "Majorly, our personnel are deployed in key areas like Nayandahalli Jn, Mysore Road, Byataranayapura, Sirsi Circle, Chamarajpet entrance, KIMCO Jn, Byadarahalli, Kamakshipalya and RR Jn." 

One company of Rapid Action Force (RAF), one company of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) (women) and five Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons were deployed at the Freedom Park apart from other personnel.

Reduced traffic during peak hours 

MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), told DH that during the peak hours, the traffic flow was at 50 per cent of the regular volume.  In the morning, only small shops were open in the central parts of the city, while motorists, a few auto rickshaws and cabs moved around. 

Hotels continued to operate during the day as the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association (BBHA) withdrew its support on Monday.  "We have extended moral support to the Bengaluru bandh today. Because there was some difference of opinion regarding the dates of the bandh, hotels were free to decide if they wanted to open on Tuesday or remain closed," said P C Rao, president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association.

Despite the BMTC operating its service, many buses either ran empty or had few passengers. Some auto rickshaw drivers operated by providing moral support and displaying pro-Kannada flags. 

In Majestic, the number of passengers, even those travelling outside the city, was low in the morning. During the day, the Majestic bus stand, the satellite bus stand on Mysore Road and the BMTC bus stand in Yeshwantpur looked deserted. 

The otherwise bustling bus stands saw many buses stationed due to the dip in passengers. Official sources said that the frequency of movement of the buses was reduced after 10 am. 

Airport mostly deserted 

The bus terminal at the KIA airport was mostly deserted early in the morning as fewer people took the buses.  There was frequent movement of airport taxis, while the buses remained empty. Traffic to and from the airport remained unaffected. There were several fliers who opted to commute by the airport bus. 

Official sources quoted previously said that before 10 am, 15 passengers travelled in airport buses, which left in a span of 15 minutes. However, the airport buses travelling through Yeshwantpur witnessed very few passengers, they said. 

Some hotels and local stores open as usual, some others shut 

Many of the regularly busy streets wore a desolate look on Tuesday morning. While most stores – including retail clothing stores, grocery and vegetable stores – remained shut through the morning, some local stores opened after 9.30 am. Others opened shutters after 4 pm. 

While many fast food and dining spots along main roads were shut, Darshini breakfast spots continued to do business as usual. Towards noon, a few people could be seen at popular restaurants that were open for orders. Most eateries began normal operations towards 6 pm.  

Although food delivery agents were scarce on the roads, representatives of food delivery applications noted that they hadn't issued any official directive to delivery agents to not operate for the day, besides alerting them to keep their documents handy.