HYDERABAD: An undeclared bandh and traffic diversions on the busy Koti road for nearly five hours left commuters stranded on Friday as supporters of Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy poured in hundreds to extend support to their leader, who was grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation at its office in Kendriya Sadan.Police had a tough time controlling the surge of slogan- raising supporters and they had to wield lathis on agitating YSR Congress Party activists during Jagan Reddy’s two-hour stay in the office.Anticipating trouble from the young MP’s supporters, police prevented shop keepers from opening their business well before 9 a.m.Traffic was regulated on the busy road and buses diverted through Sultan Bazar market leaving commuters stranded.Traffic went haywire on the congested road and had its effect in far-off areas like Chaderghat and Malakpet.The worst sufferers were patients to the government maternity hospital in Koti.Women with their just delivered children got stranded on the roads.A couple of ambulances were also stuck in the traffic snarl.Adding to the chaos were media OB vans and police vehicles blocking the already congested street.Mediamen were stopped at a far distance and the approach road barricaded.Police even forced employees of a Sulabh Complex to shut down after driving away those who were inside.Employees of the Kendriya Sadan, which houses a dozen central government offices, were allowed only after producing their ID cards and their lunch boxes opened and checked in the name of security.Apart from local police, central paramilitary forces were also rushed for bandobust.Police made tight security arrangements on the road leading to Kendriya Sadan and everyone expected that Jagan would enter from the same side.But, police made the MP’s convoy take an alternate route through the Bank Street to enter the CBI office from the rear entrance passing through the AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad office.With rumours making rounds that Jagan might be arrested, in the same fashion Koneru Prasad was arrested on Thursday evening by the CBI, supporters started to reach the place in big numbers.Slogans of Jai Jagan, YSR Amar Hai and Government Down Down filled the air.In the melee, a supporter climbed the arch at the entrance of the road to the CBI office and threatened to jump from there but party leaders forced him to come down.Even as the commotion was going on, YSR Congress activists tried to paste a poster on the CBI sign board to change it to Congress Bureau of Investigation.This led to an altercation with police and in the process the sign board was removed from the ground and to regain control, police caned away supporters but the latter returned back and continued their sloganeering.The supporters tried to reach as close as they can to have a look at their leader from all narrow exits forcing police to use mild force at times.Finally, as Jagan left the office he was given a warm reception by his supporters.Not to disappoint them, the YSR Congress chief ventured out of the car with folded hands sending the crowd into cheers.The situation returned to normalcy after the MP left the place.Earlier, several YSR Congress leaders including former MLA Bajireddy Goverdhan, former MLC MA Rehman and others were preventing from entering the CBI office.
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