Bhubaneswar, May 8 (IANS): A 12-hour shutdown called by lawyers Tuesday demanding action against a woman district collector for allegedly misbehaving with some of their colleagues hit normal life in parts of western Odisha, police said.

The lawyers were protesting the alleged misbehaviour of Sambalpur District Collector Mrinalini Darswal with some lawyers April 23 over a dispute related to hike in land registration fee. The lawyers have been demanding action against her.

While, the lawyers Tuesday boycotted courts and staged demonstrations, shops downed their shutters in most of the 10 western districts of the state, a police official told IANS.

The functioning of the Odisha High Court at Cuttack, 26 km from here, also came to a standstill as lawyers boycotted court work supporting their colleagues.

Government and private offices also remained closed in several rural and urban areas in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Rourkela, Bolangir and Deogarh towns, among others.

The lawyers allegedly ransacked Darswal's residential office and abused her on April 23. The police arrested 18 of their colleagues in this incident.

The state government subsequently ordered a crime branch probe but the lawyers demanded a judicial probe into the incident. They also called for arrest and suspension of the collector.