Sporadic incidents of violence and intimidating tactics used to close shops and disrupt movement of vehicles marked the near total bandh in Kalaburagi on Thursday, in support of the demand for the establishment of a Bench of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT).
Glass panes of at least one North-Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) bus were damaged. As many as five autorickshaws suffered damage. Three shops were damaged in stone-throwing by the enforcers of the bandh in the morning in different parts of the city.
Lawlessness
Total lawlessness prevailed on the streets of Kalaburagi as stick-wielding advocates, including woman lawyers, roamed the city in their vehicles intimidating shop owners who had opened their shops.
They deflated tyres of NEKRTC buses and autorickshaws that were operating in defiance of the bandh call. Police personnel in many areas remained mute spectators to the intimidating tactics used by the advocates to enforce the bandh.
Police officials were seen asking shop owners to close down their shops in many localities.
At several places, including Shah Bazaar, Nehru Gunj and near the Sharanabasaveshwar Temple, supporters of the bandh had altercations with autorickshaw drivers and a few shop owners. One autorickshaw driver was roughed up in Nehru Gunj and his vehicle was damaged.
Movement of all vehicles was disrupted right from the morning. While the police were successful in persuading the advocates to lift the blockade at a few traffic circles, the advocates were successful in ensuring a blockade of all vehicles at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Circle for more than five hours. Even school buses were not spared.
All shops in the busy super market area and Kirana Bazaar remained closed in response to the bandh call. NEKRTC withdrew its city and mofussil services as a precautionary measure. However, autorickshaws operated normally in the city, except on the main roads. The shops in the interior areas were open.
