Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday observed a near-total Bharat bandh peacefully.
People of the district headquarters town of Baripada favourably responded to the bandh call given by some groups through the social media at the national level and by the Baripada Jan Jagaran Manch at the local level. The bandh was meant to protest the caste-based reservation and to demand reservations on an economic basis. It was also a reaction to the April 2 Bharat Bandh that had witnessed widespread violence across the country.
Government offices, courts, schools and colleges, banks and business establishments remained closed here. Buses and auto-rickshaws were off the roads. The situation was the same at Rairangpur, Udala, Karanjia and other smaller towns of the district.
The bandh supporters at Baripada were led by Jan Jagaran Manch leaders Sital Mohanty, Narottam Panigrahi, Devidatta Dash and Umesh Sahu.