New Delhi. The Bharat Bandh organized by opposition parties on Wednesday in protest against the Supreme Court's decision on sub-classification and creamy layer determination in SC-ST reservation was limited to Bihar and Jharkhand. Life was also affected in tribal areas, but there was no significant impact in most states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha.

What was the situation in Punjab and Haryana?

While markets opened in Punjab, everything remained normal in Haryana, Uttarakhand and Delhi-NCR. Along with the Indy alliance, other non-BJP organizations had supported the bandh. Private schools were kept closed as a precautionary measure in Bihar. Protesters obstructed traffic at many places. They set fire by burning tires on the road. Shops were closed.

Police lathicharge in Patna

The police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the crowd at Patna's Dakbungla crossing. In this sequence, the constable mistakenly used the lathi on the Sadar SDO Shrikant Kundalik Khandekar. The SDO called it a human error. In Sheikhpura district, bandh supporters beat up the police. A youth has been arrested in this. Four trains including the Saptkranti Express were stopped in North Bihar.

Tinsukia Amritsar Express was stopped in Begusarai. Rani Kamlapati Express was stopped at Ara station and a protest was held. Half a dozen bandh supporters were detained in East Champaran. Five policemen including the station in-charge were injured in stone pelting by protesters in Banka. Six people have been detained. Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav led the protests in Patna and other areas.

Ruckus created by ruling parties in Jharkhand

The bandh, supported by the ruling parties and the leftist parties in Jharkhand, had an impact. Public buses were off the roads and schools remained closed. Chief Minister Hemant Soren cancelled his visit to Palamu. Practical exams of B.Ed students at Ranchi University were postponed. Protesters burnt tyres and blocked several places in Ranchi.

Bandh supporters blocked roads in Palamu, Godda, Dumka, Garhwa and other districts. Rail and road traffic was partially affected in Odisha, but government offices, banks, business establishments and educational institutions functioned normally.

Trains stopped in Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur

Trains were stopped for some time in Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur. In Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, protesters created a ruckus to close the open shops, tried to vandalize. Holiday was already declared in schools in Gwalior. There was a scuffle between traders and bandh supporters in Ujjain. In Chhattisgarh, work remained normal in industrial areas including Raipur. Its effect was seen in tribal dominated Bastar division. Educational institutions, shops and markets remained closed.

In Rajasthan, the bandh remained peaceful except for minor incidents in most districts including Jaipur. In Uttar Pradesh, markets remained open, attempts were made to block roads at some places and there were sporadic clashes as well, but in most districts the bandh supporters staged protests and submitted memorandums to the administration. The participation of SP, BSP and Azad Samaj Party, which supported the bandh, in the demonstration remained symbolic. In Aligarh, bandh supporters carrying sticks tried to go to the junction station. When GRP and RAF jawans stopped them, an altercation took place.

Procession in Nagara of Ballia

Those who took out a procession in Nagra of Ballia also vandalised some shops. There was no impact in Uttarakhand. Rallies were taken out and demonstrations were held in some cities including Dehradun. BSP demonstrated at some places in Punjab.

In Haryana, Dalit organisations limited themselves to protests. The strike also had some impact in tribal areas of Gujarat, including Chhota Udaipur, Narmada, Surendranagar, Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts. Markets remained closed in these areas. Protesters stopped a goods train for some time in Vadhavan taluka of Surendranagar district and raised slogans. Umarpada town of Surat district wore a deserted look in the afternoon as shops remained closed.