Commuters wait for buses at the New Bus Stand following the shutdown announced by the AIADMK over the issue of separate statehood, in Puducherry on Wednesday. , photo credit: kumar ss
The bandh called by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday for the demand of statehood has got a mixed effect.
The AIADMK, which is part of the ruling AINRC-BJP alliance in the union territory, had called for a dawn-to-dusk shutdown to pressurize the central government to grant statehood to Puducherry.
Most of the private buses remained off the roads, while government buses continued to ply under police protection in the morning. All main markets, including the Grand Bazaar on JN Street, functioned normally. Hotels including roadside eateries opened since morning.
Buses owned by some private educational institutions operated. Private vehicles and auto rickshaws continued to ply as usual. Share autorickshaws stopped operations for a few hours after miscreants pelted stones near Anna Salai.
preventive arrest
As a precautionary measure, the police arrested several AIADMK office-bearers, including party secretary and former MLA A Anbalagan.
Special Task Force personnel arrested Mr. Anbalagan from his house near the railway station at around 5 am. Former MLA Bhaskar was also among the others detained by the police.
Describing the arrests as illegal, Anbalagan said that no government in the past had made preventive arrests during bandhs. He criticized the government for stifling the democratic right of a political party to protest.