Bihar bandh fails to have an impact

The Bihar bandh called by five Left parties on Thursday to protest the killing of tribals in police firing at Bagaha was by and large peaceful.

The Bihar bandh called by five Left parties on Thursday to protest the killing of tribals in police firing at Bagaha was by and large peaceful.

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On Monday, six persons, all belonging to the Tharu tribe, were killed and two others seriously injured when police fired on a group of people who were angry over the delay in recovery of a kidnapped villager.

Police said no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in Bihar during the bandh. However, 235 persons were rounded up for trying to disrupt normal life.

In Patna, too it was business as usual. Shops and business establishments remained open and movement of vehicles on roads was normal.

Beginning Thursday morning, workers of CPI-ML(Liberation), CPI, CPI(M), SUCI and Forward Bloc fanned out to enforce the bandh. They blocked state highway 31 at Viroli in Purnia district of eastern Bihar and prevented the movement of traffic on the NH 30 at Jagdishpur in Bhojpur district of south-central Bihar. They also held up trains at several stations, delaying them for hours.

Leading a group of CPI-ML supporters, party general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya charged the Nitish Kumar government with transforming Bihar into a police state.

He demanded stern action against policemen responsible for the Bagaha police firing.