BENGALURU: Traffic was thrown out of gear as thousands of people, who attended the Panchamasali Lingayat convention at Palace Grounds, attempted to march towards Vidhana Soudha, on Sunday.
The police, who had not given permission for a procession, tried to dissuade the protesters from marching towards Vidhana Soudha. When the protesters did not budge, they were allowed to agitate at Freedom Park.
Traffic was affected in areas surrounding Palace Grounds and the roads where the protesters marched. Commuters were stranded at Mehkri Circle, Shivananda Circle, Basaveshwara Circle, Ramana Maharshi Road, Ballari Road, Palace Road, Seshadri Road, Race Course Road, and Jayamahal Road.
Despite the roads witnessing less traffic compared to weekdays, the police diverting vehicles by barricading important connecting roads resulted in a major traffic snarl. The situation returned to normal an hour after the agitators reached Freedom Park.