Kharagpur (WB), Apr 4 (PTI) Several vehicles were stuck on the old National Highway 6, which connects Kolkata to Mumbai, after an organisation of the Kudmi community started a blockade in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Tuesday, demanding that they be given ST status.

West Bengal Kudmi Samaj started the blockade around 6 am at Khemashuli in the Kharagpur local police station area, officials said.

Also Read | Congress Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Seeks Discussion in Lok Sabha Over Rahul Gandhi's Disqualification.

"The blockade will continue until our demands are met," said Tapas Mahato, a leader of the organisation.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road because of the blockade, triggering massive traffic snarls even on the other adjoining roads in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts.

Also Read | Dogecoin Currency Surges After Musk Changes Twitter Logo.

Till the last report was received around 11 pm, the blockade was continuing.

Drivers of the stranded vehicles said they were facing scarcity of food and water.

Some of the vehicles were being diverted through Balibhasha in Jhargram to bypass the blockade, officials said.

Kudmis are at present classified as OBCs.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)