By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, February 21, 2019: Normal life across Odisha came to standstill Thursday following a dawn-to-dusk strike by leading farmers’ body Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) to protest against the state government’s alleged lack of concern towards their demands.

Holding placards and raising anti-government slogans, agitating farmers blocked roads in the city as well on the national highways, prompting police to undertake preventive arrest of the farmers.

The bandh was backed by both the Congress and the BJP. The police picked up about 200 protesters from different parts of the state including 70 from the state capital here. However, it passed off peacefully.

Government offices continued to function with adequate attendance, but educational institutions, major shops and business establishments remained closed and public transport vehicles were off the roads.

There was heavy deployment in different places to maintain law and order, a police official said.

“We have made elaborate security arrangements to maintain law and order in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack,” Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty told reporters.

About 30 platoons of armed police have been deployed in Bhubaneswar and 15 in Cuttack, he added.

Mohanty, however, claimed normal life in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack remained unaffected.

NNKS convener Akshya Kumar alleged that the state government did not pay any heed to their demands of price, pension and prestige to cultivators, forcing them to call for the strike.

He said farmers in the state are also pressing for social security allowance of Rs 5,000 per month.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Niranjan Patnaik, said, “Our ‘annadatas’ (providers of food) have suffered a lot due to the anti-farmer policies of the BJD and the BJP. It is just the beginning of agitation by farmers.”

Odisha Agriculture and Finance Minister S B Behera, however, termed the agitation as “unfortunate”.