Life was affected in Shivamogga city on Saturday following a bandh call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) seeking a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI).
Educational institutions and commercial establishments were closed and private buses and autorickshaws were off the road.
The inter-district bus services of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) were also affected. The KSRTC operated only 20 trips between Shivamogga and Bhadravati on Saturday against the usual 120. Bus services from Shivamogga city to Hadonahalli, Kotehal, and Sidlipura villages were cancelled. However, KSRTC services on long-distance routes were normal.
Passengers bound for rural areas of Tirthahalli, Hosanagar, Sagar, Shikaripur, Sorab, Honnali and Channagiri taluks faced hardships owing to the cancellation of services by private bus operators. Train services, however, were not hit.
Commercial areas in Shivamogga city, including Gandhi Bazaar, Nehru Road, and Durgigudi, were deserted. Security was tightened in sensitive areas, including M.K.K. Road, Azad Nagar, Tunga Nagar, Gandhi Bazaar and surrounding areas.
Protest by BJP
Meanwhile, BJP activists staged a protest on the premises of the office of the Superintendent of Police here, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the violence that erupted following the rally taken out by the PFI.
Addressing them, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa blamed the PFI for the violence. He said it did not ensure that the rally on Thursday was peaceful. The BJP leader also criticised the police for its “failure” to prevent the violence.
Ayanur Manjunath, MP, M.B. Bhanuprakash, MLC, the former MLA, K.G. Kumaraswamy, and the party’s district unit president S. Dattatri took part in the protest.
