Barring a few incidents of violence in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, the nationwide bandh call given by the Congress and supported by its alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) against the rising fuel prices, passed off peacefully and saw life in large parts of the State coming to a halt.
The bandh was near-total in the strongholds of the two parties in south and north Karnataka. Government buses were off the road for most part of the day, while schools remained closed.
In Dakshina Kannada, at least seven buses and a hotel were stoned at different places, while a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA alleged his vehicle was stoned.
In neighbouring Udupi, where Section 144 was clamped following a lathi-charge on clashing workers, Prabhakar Poojary, president of Udupi city unit of the BJP, was allegedly injured after a stone hit his head. Ramesh Kanchan, a Congress councillor, was allegedly injured when the police resorted to caning to disperse the mob.
While protests were held by the two parties and other organisations in most district and taluk centres, the Opposition BJP slammed the politicisation and the role of district administration in “enforcing” the bandh.