Bhubaneswar: The BJP workers staged a protest blocking the National Highway-16 at Satsang Vihar in Bhubaneswar against the arrest of a corporator.

The movement of vehicular traffic was severely hit from both sides of the NH causing inconveniences to commuters. Thousands of vehicles including ambulances, trucks, buses, and cars coming from and to Khordha and Cuttack were stranded on the NH for more than one hour.

Protesting the arrest of BJP corporator Jeevan Rout and police action, the party workers blocked the NH.

According to reports, Jeevan Rout, the corporator of Ward No.29, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman ASI in Bhubaneswar. A case in this regard has been registered at the Mancheswar Police Station. Following his arrest, he was produced before a local court on Friday. The court sent him to Jharpada Jail denying to grant his bail application.

Reports said that Aparup Narayan Rout alias Jeevan created ruckus hindering construction work carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) near Hi-Tech Hospital Chhak late on Thursday night.

He allegedly abused the NHAI officials engaged in road construction work. When a PCR team led by woman ASI Anjana Baral intervened in the matter to resume the construction work, the BJP corporator allegedly misbehaved with her.

Acting promptly, the Mancheswar police arrested Jeevan and registered a case under sections 341, 332, 294, 353, 354, 379, 506, 34 and 185 of MV Act).

However, the BJP workers termed the allegations as baseless.

"The police arrested the corporator without any reason," a protestor alleged.

The commuters expressed resentment over the protest blocking the NH.

"We are standing here more than hour. Even as we have urgency, but cannot move from here," a commuter said.