BHUBANESWAR: The western Odisha wing of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has given a dawn to dusk bandh call in the region on April 19 as a mark of protest against the anti-Hindu policy of the state government.
Extending support to the bandh call, secretary of VHP, Odisha East, Mahesh Sahu said, “We give 48 hours time to the state government to take action against miscreants failing which VHP will call for Odisha bandh.” Meanwhile, the state unit of the BJP also extended its support to the VHP bandh call. The party said that a 12 hour bandh will be observed in 14 western and southern Odisha districts.
Apart from the riot-hit Sambalpur, bandh will be observed in Bargarh, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Rayagada districts. Targeting the BJP for supporting the bandh call given by VHP in western Odisha districts to instigate violence for political gain, the BJD announced that it will take out a peace march in the entire state on Wednesday evening.
Stating that police have taken tough action against those involved in stone pelting and violence, BJD spokesperson Srimoyee Mishra said that such type of politics has always been the strategy of BJP. “The perpetrators including those who instigate will face the law,” she said and added that such politics is aimed to defame the people of Odisha. “When students are appearing for examinations in schools, you want to undertake bandh and harass them,” she said targeting the saffron outfit.