Protests choke major roads

Traffic was thrown out of gear for a few hours in the central business district and surrounding areas in the city on Saturday.

A large number of people took part in the protests organised by the ABVP, the BJP and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS). Also, the birthday celebrations of former chief minister late D Devaraj Urs added to the congestion.

Congestion lasted for hours on Platform Road, Link Road, Sheshadri Road, Race Course Road, Ballari Road, Magadi Road, Okalipuram, Dr Rajkumar Road, KR Circle, Hudson Circle, Town Hall, Richmond Road, Palace Road, Dr Ambedkar Road, KG Road, Avenue Road and Mysuru Road. Vehicles moved at a slow pace in the adjoining areas. Motorists  had tough time at Gandhinagar, Malleswaram, City Market, Basavanagudi and Yeshwantpur, said the police.

The KRRS took out a procession of around 4,000 people from the city railway station to Freedom Park. The protesters demanded that the government provide land for poor farmers. The BJP workers also staged a protest around 11.30 am seeking a ban on Amnesty International India (AII) for “raising anti-national slogans”. The ABVP also began a 48-hour-long protest around 12 noon at the Anand Rao Circle. A large number of people arrived at the Ballari Road to attend the birthday celebrations of Urs, which was held around the same time.

Traffic movement was adversely affected between 11 am and 5 pm, said the police.

The police had made temporary diversions for vehicles heading towards the Anand Rao Circle and Palace Road. Vehicles stood in a long queue from the Okalipuram Junction to Suguna Hospital, on Dr Rajkumar Road. The situation was similar on the Magadi Road as well. The police deployed additional forces and manually controlled the traffic at major junctions.