The violence that erupted on Monday morning stalled work and business as public transport came to halt and commuters were caught in traffic snarls for hours.

Protesters assembled on the Marina beach over the last one week had been demanding that the ban on Jallikattu, a traditional sport, be lifted. But the peaceful protest turned violent when police started to evict them resulting in a face off between the police and the demonstrators.

Aditya S, who lives in a colony near Marina Beach, trying to get to his office said, “even auto drivers declined to ply.”

Suneel Ananth, who runs a 100-member consulting firm in Chennai was kept busy with calls from employees stuck in traffic. “Hardly anyone will be able to report for work,” he said.

He had to reschedule several meetings as he too could not escape from traffic.

This was the situation in southern Tamil Nadu, the hub of Jallikattu sport. Sundar Kalyanam who was supposed to be in Madurai tonight said, “I do not think I will be able to travel anywhere. I’m postponing the trip till situation calms down.”

Many offices on the IT corridor to the South of Chennai downed shutters early today. Varalakshmi, an IT professional, said office buses had been rescheduled an hour early taking into consideration safety of employees. Number of buses had also been increased to shuttle more people, she added.

For people who are dependent on taxi hailing services, it was even worse as most of the drivers went offline.

As the situation was tense throughout the day, shops and businesses in many parts of the city were closed. Employees of public and private institutions left for home early. Business was affected said officials public sector banks and an insurance firm. Though transport services resumed in the evening, most public transport buses were empty.

(With inputs from G Balachandar)

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