Bhubaneswar: Emotions often run high in India when it comes to cricket. And in a bizarre turn of events on Sunday, over 200 people, some holding cricket bats and wickets, blocked the busy Laxmisagar chowk in the city for around three hours over the cancellation of a local tournament.
Police reports indicate that the dispute originated when local residents questioned the guest list for the cricket tournament. They insisted on including a local politician among the invitees.
A senior police officer said, “This led to an argument between the tournament organisers and a group of locals. Subsequently, all hell broke loose, leading to the disruption of the cricket match. It was a petty dispute, but several aggrieved people blocked the national highway over disruption to the match.”
Police authorities struggled to convince the demonstrators, who demanded continuation of the tournament. “We have been organising and playing cricket here for the last 40 years. We were hurt after the cancellation of the match. We need an explanation,” said Akhaya Das, a protester.
Nirod Samantray, another agitator, said, “Cricket organisers started a controversy by trying to politicise the tournament.”
Hundreds of vehicles and commuters were left stranded due to the blockade on a busy stretch of the NH-316 which connects Bhubaneswar to Puri.
Amid allegations and counter-allegations, many stranded travellers, including tourists, attempted to persuade the protesters to end the blockade. “We were the worst sufferers. For such a petty issue, locals made a mountain out of a molehill. I was trapped in the blockade for three hours. I also saw an ambulance stuck in the traffic,” said Jayant Naik, a stranded commuter.
Senior police officers rushed to the spot to negotiate with protesters, leading to a heated exchange of words between them. After three hours of persistent negotiation, the protesters ended their strike and finally cleared the road.