Raipur: A Chhattisgarh bandh called today by the Congress to protest against the Centre’s demonetisation exercise evoked a mixed response with most of the business establishments remaining open in several districts.
The bandh was partial in some districts while in major districts like Raipur it virtually did not receive much response.
As many as 509 Congress workers, including state chief Bhupesh Baghel and Rajya Sabha MP Chhaya Verma, were arrested alone in Raipur district during the protest, a police official said, adding they were later released unconditionally.
However, Congress claimed the bandh was successful.
“The protest garnered response right from the villages to cities as a large number of people came out in its support.
“BJP and its government at Centre and state are (feeling) threatened to see the peoples’ anger against its demonetisation decision and therefore they used hundreds of policemen to suppress a peaceful protest by Congress,” Baghel said.
He claimed over 20,000 Congress leaders and workers were forcefully arrested during the peaceful agitations across the state.
Though no major untoward incident was reported from any part of the state, at some places Congress activists were involved in minor scuffles with the police when they were prevented from disrupting traffic.