Naveen Patnaik’s claims of a peaceful ‘hartal’ to protest fuel price hike have fallen flat with violence

Bhubaneswar:18/9/17: BJD Supremo Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s claims of a peaceful ‘hartal’ to protest fuel price hike have fallen flat with violence reported from several places by party activists. Public was inconvenienced, several vehicles vandalised, women and journalists misbehaved and even ambulances carrying patients were rerouted.

Roads were blocked across the Capital city and all major traffic junctions shut by the party picketers. At Rajmahal, unruly protesters misbehaved with a senior citizen travelling in an auto-rickshaw despite pleading he was going to the hospital. Similarly, a couple on its way to school was stopped and asked to take another route. When the woman protested she was allegedly misbehaved with and as her husband objected, he was reportedly beaten up by the BJD activists. As per reports from various media houses, journalists too were not allowed to commute on the main roads and even misbehaved with.

Incidents of violence were reported from almost all districts while schools and colleges, railway services and public life were disrupted.

BJD workers misbehaved a woman journalist, to women and working women

Even as the ruling BJD in Odisha claims to pay due respect to women and working towards women empowerment, its party workers yet to follow the principles of their political outfit, which was formed in name of legendary Biju Patnaik.

The height of arrogance and egoism of the BJD workers was clearly seen when the protesters observing hartal against union government over fuel price hike misbehaved a woman journalist, who is working with a leading media organisation here today.

Police failed to maintain law and order after the BJD activists launched protest in all the district headquarters.

Following several criticism Police Commissioner YB Khurania said that immediate action will be taken against the culprits after verifying the CCTV footages if the complaint will be lodged by the hartal victims.

However, Home department did not feel it appropriate to take precautionary measure to avoid untoward incidents after the BJD called for the hartal on Sunday. The strike against fuel price hike by Union government could have been peaceful if it was carried out properly without hurting common people. The pre-poll violence could have been avoided if adequate security forces were deployed at the college and university campus and non-students were removed from the hostels earlier.