Bengaluru violence: It was pressure cooker-like situation, say commuters

Bengaluru: With garment workers resorting to a flash strike for the second day on Tuesday, the commuters in the city bore the brunt again. Many said it was like a pressure cooker situation for them as they were locked inside their cars in long traffic jams under the sweltering heat as protesters went on the rampage. The IT hub was the worst affected again as hundreds of IT professionals could not reach their offices on time because of traffic jams across the city.

Mr Sahil Yadav, who had flown into the city from Mumbai only to attend a three-day business meeting in Electronic City Phase 2, cancelled his appointment because of the protest. “I was stuck in a traffic jam for over three hours on Hosur Road. The protesters were throwing stones at the police right in front of my eyes. I got down from the car, but the driver advised me to remain seated as the mob was turning violent,” he said.

Amitesh Raj was in the middle of action as he was caught in a traffic jam at Bellandur Gate. “I was heading for a meeting around 11.30 am and was caught in the traffic pileup. I stepped out and saw the mob charging towards our vehicles. My driver screamed at me to run back to the car, but by the time I reached the vehicle the crowd was all around me. Fortunately, I managed to get inside the car,” he said.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at major traffic junctions, like Bellandur Gate and Sarjapur Road, and resorted to vandalism around 11 am. Many office-goers had to take alternative routes to reach back their homes as the roads were completely blocked. “It was a nightmare sitting locked inside the car, with the blazing sun overhead and the frenzied mob setting BMTC bus on fire right in front of me. While the city was witnessing the riots, it was a 'pressure cooker' situation for many motorists like me," said Sameer Jain, a resident of HSR Layout Sector 2.

While many IT professionals chose to work from home, others who stepped out were stuck in traffic jams for over four hours at Kanteerva Stadium, West of Chord Road, Iskcon Temple, Tumkauru Road, Madiwala, Silk Board Junction and BTM Layout.