Jharkhand hit by bandh

Normal life in Jhakrhand came to a grinding halt today during the 12-hour bandh called by the NDA in protest against last week's petrol price hike.

Roads wore a deserted look in many districts like Ranchi, Hazaribagh, West and East Singhbhum, Dumka, Latehar, Palamau, Gumla, Sahebganj and Lohardaga with bus and truck owners deciding to suspend their services.

Mineral transport was affected in several districts as trucks went off the roads. Shops and business establishments were closed while supporters of BJP, JDU, JMM and Left parties separately held demonstrations in various places and blocked road traffic on NH-75 and Grand Trunk Road. However, government offices remained open.

Three Rajdhani Express trains were held up in different places in Koderma and Giridih districts when agitating supporters of BJP and CPI (ML-Liberation) squatted on rail tracks.

The Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani Express and Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express were detained at different points in Koderma and Giridih districts for about three hours, the police said. NDA supporters disrupted train services in Koderma while the CPI (ML-Liberation) activists separately held Chakkajam (blockade) on the tracks at Jarandih in Koderma district, according to police sources.

Rail Police Force Commander (Dhanbad) Shashi Kumar said that a case had been booked under IPC 174 (not obeying a legal order) against the agitators. He, however, said the situation had returned to normal. CPI (ML-Liberation) supporters also blocked the Grand Trunk Road in Giridih and squatted on rail tracks in Hazaribagh to disrupt vehicular and train traffic.

JMM supporters detained Tata-Badam Pahar passenger train on the outskirts of Jamshedpur. In Ranchi, supporters of BJP and JDU held demonstrations at the busy Albert Ekka Chowk and took out protest-marches on the main thoroughfares, raising anti-UPA slogans and demanding immediate rollback of the petroleum prices.

There were no untoward incidents anywhere, barring one or two incidents like smashing glass panes of a couple of auto rickshaws in Jamshedpur, the police said.

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