Nagpur: The Nagpur City Police has come under sharp criticism for a major intelligence and planning lapse after a large-scale protest by Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party brought traffic on Wardha Road (NH-44) to a complete halt on Thursday. The agitation, held under the banner of “Maha Elgar Morcha” to demand a total farm loan waiver, led to one of the city’s worst traffic snarls in recent memory.
According to officials, police intelligence failed to anticipate that Kadu and his thousands of supporters would stage their demonstration directly on the national highway. As a result, the protest caused a gridlock extending over 20 kilometres, leaving commuters, buses, and even ambulances stranded for hours. The chaos disrupted movement to and from the city, including routes leading to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.
Despite limited traffic diversions being set up, they were quickly rendered ineffective as protesters reportedly moved their tractors to block alternative routes, crippling the police’s contingency measures. Sources admitted that the lack of advance planning and poor crowd assessment worsened the crisis.
The situation escalated to such an extent that the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had to intervene, directing protesters to immediately vacate the highway and restore normal traffic flow.
By the time order was restored, the damage had been done — thousands of residents and travellers had endured hours-long delays, prompting widespread criticism of the police’s preparedness and intelligence network in handling large public agitations.
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