Road and rail transport came to a halt in the state while shops and business establishments downed shutters.
BHUBANESWAR: Life was disrupted in most parts of Orissa on Saturday as the protest call supported by the Opposition parties to condemn the January 2 police firing at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district evoked a mixed response.
Protesters stormed the official residence of state Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei on the Rajpath while a group of people allegedly stoned the state office of the ruling BJD here.
A group of people entered Ghadei's residence and smashed windowpanes and flowerpots but left the place before police arrived, sources said.
The minister was not at home at the time.
BJD sources alleged that some protesters threw stones at the party office near Forest Park.
Road and rail transport came to a halt in the state while shops and business establishments downed shutters.
Government offices remained open at many places although with thin attendance. The government had ordered the closure of educational institutions in the state.
Opposition activists obstructed traffic and forced shopkeepers to down shutters.
Life in the state capital and Cuttack virtually came to a halt with the streets deserted and lathi-wielding policemen deployed at crossings.
In Bhubaneswar, activists set roadside hoardings on fire at the Station square and AG square crossings even as police looked on. A traffic post was uprooted and set ablaze at the Kalpana crossing.
Tribals, armed with bows and arrows, obstructed traffic at several places.
Traffic on the NH-5 was disrupted at five points and several places on the Bhubaneswar-Puri NH-203 within the capital city by protesters while shops, business establishments and banks remained closed.
Railway services were thrown out of gear by the bandh in the state as long-distance trains were stopped at various stations.
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