Mohali: Key arterial corridors in Mohali and adjoining Kharar town came to a standstill around 10am on Thursday as supporters of slain anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota staged coordinated road blockades.
Protesters enforced a statewide shutdown till 5pm, demanding a CBI probe into Jhota’s murder in Mansa on October 13, paralysing public transit and leaving scores of commuters stranded along major routes connecting Kharar, Mohali, and Chandigarh.
The disruption followed a deceptively normal start to the day, with Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses and auto-rickshaws running their usual morning routes until traffic ground to a halt around 10am. As protests intensified through the day, demonstrators put up barricades across several vital intersections.
The major chokepoints hit by total or partial closures included the Kharar bus stand, Gopal Airport Chowk, Nijjer highway corridor, besides roads linking Kurali and New Chandigarh.
The sudden closures hit morning commuters hard, particularly office-goers who had travelled into work early and found themselves unable to secure return transport. In addition to vehicular blockades, markets across Mohali, Kharar, Kurali, and New Chandigarh were forced to shut down.
Neelam, a Gillco resident who had travelled to Chandigarh early in the day, found her return route cut short. Her CTU bus terminated service midway, leaving her stranded without connecting buses or auto-rickshaws. “I eventually had to flag down passing private vehicles to hitch a ride home,” she said.
Frustrated motorists directed their anger at police deployment along affected stretches. Drivers alleged that police personnel stationed barely 100 metres ahead of closures failed to warn approaching traffic, causing traffic jams and forcing driver turnarounds onto overburdened side routes.
Police said following reports of localised disruptions, personnel were being redistributed to manage traffic flow and maintain public order.
The situation created confusion for commuters across the Kharar-Mohali corridor, forcing travellers to navigate unexpected detours throughout the afternoon.