Congress activists on Mahatma Gandhi Marg. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 6: The Congress rally caught Hrusikesh Basantia, 24, a sales executive, off guard as he set out for work this morning.

It took him more than an hour to cover the 8-km stretch between Ravi Talkies Square and Vani Vihar Square. During earlier rallies, Basantia usually snaked through his two-wheeler. But today was different.

“I had to stop my vehicle at regular intervals as large groups of people kept pouring into the city through Master Canteen Square. The protesters, armed with party flags, were having a field day, running all over the place and shouting slogans. Getting caught in a mob was quite scary,” he said.

Pushpanjali Sahoo, a schoolteacher, who was on her way home around 2.30pm, mirrored the same feelings.

“A group of unruly men came running towards me and asked me not to be out on the streets. They said I could get beaten up. I hope I get to reach home safely,” she told The Telegraph as she headed home.

Though the city has been witnessing major traffic snarls for the past few years because of rallies, today’s protest by Congress workers against the Naveen Patnaik government was by far the worst. The protesters even damaged the police pilot vehicle accompanying the car of Odisha Congress affairs in-charge Jagdish Tytler.

“Most of the protesters gathered at the station in groups and marched towards the Assembly through the Mahatma Gandhi Marg. Since the station is near Master Canteen Square in the heart of the capital, traffic movement was paralysed,” said a traffic personnel deployed at Kalpana Square.

The situation remained chaotic even after the protest meeting at Lower PMG got over because the supporters dispersed to get to their vehicles parked in various parts of the city including the BJB College ground and exhibition ground.

Police said they had deployed more than 60 traffic personnel to regulate traffic. “But the situation turned chaotic following the baton-charge,” said a senior traffic cop. Among the areas badly affected by the rally was Ram Mandir Square that has three schools, including Bhima Bhoi School for the Blind, in the vicinity.

“I had to pick up my daughter from school and then go back to work but the road was so crowded that I got to office at least an hour late. The kids were scared to see the crowd thronging outside the school gate,” said Pradeep Mohanty, a parent.

The other affected areas were Rajmahal Square, Kalpana Square, a stretch of NH-203 from Rasulgarh to Samantarapur and Sachival-aya Marg from AG Square to Housing Board Square.

All entry points to the city including Tankapani Road, NH-203 and NH-5 were sealed last night. Though a large number of commuters use the service roads to Lower PMG Square when the Assembly is in session, the police sealed them after they baton-charged the protesters.

When police used batons, tear gas shells and water canons to disperse the mob, they ran helter-skelter in all directions from this busy intersection forcing motorists to stop on their way.

“I could not understand what was happening. The mob started running around the roundabout and I was forced to return from Master Canteen Square and go through NH-203 to reach Vani Vihar Square,” said Manoj Sahoo, a college student.