India, Oct. 15 -- 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 barric...