'Bandh' paralyses life in Jharkhand; passes off peacefully

The nation wide strike called by BJP and other parties to protest diesel price hike, FDI in multi-brand retail and cap in subsidised LPG cylinders today affected normal life in Jharkhand.

Over 5,000 activists and leaders of different political parties, including ruling BJP, courted arrest during the strike, police sources said.

The strike passed off peacefully and the arrested people were let off later during the day, the sources said.

According to reports, educational institutions, banks, shops and big business establishments remained closed while truckers stayed off the road, affecting work at public and private sector companies.

Slogan-shouting bandh supporters squatted on railway tracks in Koderma, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and other places disrupting train services, sources in the railways said.

Chairman of Jharkhand Truck Owners' Association Uday Shankar Ojha said the association’s protest would continue till midnight tonight to protest diesel hike and 50,000 trucks have kept off the roads.

The Chairman of the Co-ordination Committee of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Sanjay Seth said after over a decade the business community of Jharkhand had hit the streets against the Centre’s 'anti-people policies'.

He said the Chamber has also demanded waiving of VAT on petroleum products in the state.

JVM(P) chief Babulal Marandi, JMM vice president Sudhir Mahato, BJP president Dineshanand Goswami, Janata Dal (U) MLA Sudha Choudhary, CPI’s state secretary B P Mehta and CPI (M’s) secretary G N Bakshi led separate processions at different districts.