Parts of Karnataka’s Ramanagara district today faced inconvenience following a bandh called to protest the arrest of senior Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

Sporadic protests were reported in various places, including Channapattanna and Ramanagara, since morning, while schools and colleges remained shut in the district, under which DK Shivakumar’s assembly segment Kanakapura is located, the police said.

Shops and business establishments by and large were closed in response to the bandh called by the local unit of the Congress and supported by its allies in the previous coalition government, the Janata Dal (Secular).

Protesters staged demonstrations and attempted to block roads at some places, but were dispersed by police as the protests continued for the third day. With no buses plying in Kanakapura, office goers were seen stranded while in other parts of the district some vehicular movement was seen during the early hours. Police said they have made elaborate security arrangements across the district to avoid any untoward incident.

A Delhi court on Wednesday evening had remanded DK Shivakumar, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi on Tuesday, to the agency’s custody till September 13.

Congress has dubbed the action by the Enforcement Directorate as “political vendetta”, and staged protests in several parts of Karnataka on Tuesday night and on Wednesday against the arrest of Shivakumar, a key troubleshooter of the party, in connection with alleged tax evasion and hawala transactions wroth crores.

Several top state leaders, including former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy (JDS), have condemned the arrest of Shivakumar. Quoting reports he received, state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had on Wednesday said five to six buses were pelted with stones and attempts made to torch one bus each in Kanakapura and Bengaluru. Most parts of Ramanagara district come under Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency represented by DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh.

According to an ED official quoted by IANS, the Congress leader was evasive and non-cooperative with the agency on questions related to his investments, shell companies and properties. The agency has grilled Shivakumar for over 29 hours since Friday.

On several occasions, he tried to delay the interrogation by not replying to questions on links with persons in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area to whom the bag full of cash was sent, the official said.

Shivakumar also allegedly remained evasive about the source of the money recovered from his residence in Delhi and premises in Bengaluru in 2017 by the Income Tax Department.

He was instrumental in keeping the Gujarat Congress MLAs from being poached in 2017 ahead of the Rajya Sabha election. He had arranged for their stay at a luxury resort in Karnataka.