Sambalpur: As many as 132 lawyers of the district bar association were on Saturday taken into police custody while they were trying to force their entry to stage a black flag demonstration before finance and excise minister Sashibhushan Behera here.

The advocates marched in a procession from the court premises to the Gangadhar Meher University to protest against the visit of the minister, but the police prevented them. "When the lawyers tried to force their entry, the cops arrested them. They were taken to the nearby Sasan police station, about 10km from here, and later released. There was no untoward incident," said Sambalpur sub-divisional police officer Mihir Panda.

The arrest was made much before the finance minister arrived on the university campus to attend the inaugural ceremony of the year-long platinum jubilee celebrations of the institute.

Later Behera, replying to reporters' question on the advocates' demand for the establishment of a bench of Orissa High Court in the area, said: "It is their democratic right to protest. Establishment of a bench of Orissa High Court is not solely in the hands of the state government. Our chief minister has written a letter to the Centre on the issue and also replied the queries of the Centre." Sambalpur District Bar Association president Jitendriya Pradhan told The Telegraph that the state government after writing letter to the Centre had remained silent on the issue. It should pursue the matter vigorously.

The Sambalpur bar association has decided to oppose and stage black flag demonstrations against the Union and state ministers visiting the district as, they say, both the governments are neglecting the issue. The decision to oppose the ministers' visit was taken on July 3 at the association's general body meeting.