Headlines
Shutdown over ban on Togadia hits normal life in Kandhamal
Bhubaneswar, Feb 28
The day-long shutdown
called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protest against the ban on
the entry of its top leader Pravin Togadia hit normal life in Odisha's
Kandhamal district Saturday, police said.
People and commercial
vehicles stayed off the roads in most places including the district
headquarter town of Phulbani. Shops, hotels and business establishments
also downed shutters, district superintendent of police Kanwar Vishal
Singh told IANS.
"Some shops are opened here and there. Although
four wheelers stayed off the roads, bikes and two wheelers are operating
as usual. Emergency services such as hospitals were operating normally.
The shutdown has remained uneventful so far," he said.
Togadia was scheduled to address a gathering of VHP supporters at Phulbani Saturday.
The
VHP called the shutdown after authorities imposed a ban on Togadia's
entry into the district following apprehension that it might disturb the
peace.
VHP leader Bhagaban Mohanty accused the local
administration of double standards. "While it had allowed Christian
missionaries to hold meetings in the region in the past, we do not
understand why it restricted Togadia," he said.
At least 38
people were killed and thousands had to flee their homes following
widespread communal violence in the region in 2008 after the murder of
VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
Different Christian
groups had moved the local and state administration seeking a ban on the
proposed visit of Togadia, saying his fiery speeches might upset the
fragile peace between communities.