Normal life was hit today in Puducherry by the dawn to dusk bandh called by various Tamil outfits and students' organisations in support of holding the banned Jallikattu, to which various political parties, including ruling Congress, have extended support.
All private inter-state and intra-state bus services, autorickshaws and contract carriages kept off the roads. State transport buses operated skeletal services.
Vegetable and fish vending stalls, jewellery shops, tea stalls, hotels and other shops and establishments downed shutters. Cinema houses too suspended morning and noon shows.
However medical shops, electricity and water supply was not affected as they were exempt from the bandh, a spokesman of the Joint Action Committee of Tamil outfits and Students Organisationsorganising the bandh said.
Volunteers of various outfits demanding lifting of the ban on Jallikattu took out a procession through the main thoroughfares of the city.
Police were deployed in strength at all vantage points.
Barricades were erected around Raj Nivas (office cum residence of the Lt Governor) and traffic was diverted.
Ruling Congress and its alliance partner DMK, opposition AIADMK, AINRC, CPI, CPI(M) and several political parties extended support to the bandh.
A group of CPI(M) volunteers observed a fast near Swadeshi Cotton mills condemning the ban on Jallikattu. CPI(M) Puducherry unit secretary R Rajangam led the fast.
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