BENGALURU: Traffic was thrown out of gear in the city during a rally by farmers, despite the traffic police diverting vehicular movement. The Bharat Bandh call received poor response in state capital with all modes of transport and businesses running as usual.
Thousands of farmers and members of various organisations took out a rally from Town Hall to Mysuru Bank Circle in protest against the farm laws. The police had beefed up security across the city and deployed additional forces at bus stations and railway stations.
As a preventive step, the police stopped several farmers from entering the city. About 100 people were detained at KR Puram while about 30 people, including farmers’ leader Kurubur Shantakumar, were detained on Magadi Road. They were later released in the evening.
Though the traffic police had taken steps to prevent traffic snarls, commuters had a tough time. The police had converted the one-way Nrupatunga Road into a two-way, but it didn’t help much as traffic was gridlocked. The situation returned to normal after 2 pm when the protest ended.
Police officer injured
DCP (North) Dharmender Kumar Meena sustained a minor injury in the leg after a car ran over his foot. The DCP was on bandobast duty during the Bharat Bandh. When the police tried to stop a car ferrying farmers, the driver didn’t stop and went over the officer’s foot. The police detained the driver.