Bandh evokes mixed response in Karnataka

A day-long bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party to demand the withdrawal of a 10-year-old criminal case against party leader Uma Bharti evoked a mixed response in Karnataka on Thursday.

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The response was good in BJP stronghold districts in north Karnataka and coastal areas, but it was either poor or lukewarm in the southern parts of the state, including Bangalore.

There were no untoward incidents reported from any part of the state, barring stray incidents of stone pelting in Bangalore and Mangalore.

The bandh brought life to a complete standstill in Hubli, where the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister surrendered before a court on Wednesday in connection with a 10-year-old case of rioting.

On August 14-16, 1994, way before the BJP came to hold the reins of power at the Centre, Bharti led an agitation and hoisted the Tricolour at the Idgah Maidan in Hubli, Karnataka.

Since the ground was disputed, and the BJP activists had defied an order banning assembly at the spot, a criminal case was filed against Bharti and 21 others.