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| Protesters stop cars on Janpath on Tuesday. Picture by Ashwinee Pati |
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 12: Vehicle movement on the busy Janpath was disrupted for one-and-a-half hours today as protesters hit the street to demand compensation for a youth killed in a road mishap last night.
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in front of the Kharavela Nagar police station with the body of the deceased.
Police were forced to divert vehicles passing on either side of the road near the police station. The traffic became even more chaotic due to restrictions on movement of vehicles imposed by the police for the Independence Day parade rehearsal on Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
“The police have already imposed traffic restrictions in and around the Mahatma Gandhi Marg forcing the people to take several diversions. The road blockade created further problems as we have to take additional diversions to reach Raj Mahal Square,” said Arbinda Tripathy, a commuter.
A number of service roads close to Mahatma Gandhi Marg were chock-a-block. Besides, the vehicles coming from Big Bazaar Square were diverted through Ram Mandir Square.
“I wanted to go to the station to receive a friend and it took me ages to get there. How can people obstruct one of the busiest roads in the city in the name of protest?” said Suryamani Biswal, a student.
The accident took place near Housing Board Square last night. A speeding Skoda car hit two men leading to death of Bhabagrahi Behera on the spot. The other person, Raja Swain, was seriously injured. The police said Bhabagrahi worked at a hotel in Unit-IV.
The vehicle managed to escape after hitting the men. The cops gave it a chase and intercepted it on Lewis Road. Police detained the vehicle owner, Suman Das.
“Our demand was only to pay compensation to the victim because his family is very poor. The police should also initiate stringent action against the car driver,” said Bairagi Jena, a protester. The agitation came to an end with the intervention of senior police officials, including the deputy commissioner of police.
