NDA's 5-hr Bihar Bandh evokes mixed response

The five-hour bandh called by Women's Cell of BJP in protest against the alleged derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during a Mahagathbandhan rally in Darbhanga last week, passed off with sporadic incidents of clashes, road jams and forceful closure of business establishments across the state on Thursday.

- Avinash Kumar

Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju was also caught in a jam on NH-20 while on his way to Rajgir to participate in a function. Several aspirants of competitive exams were caught in such a road jam in Aurangabad.

BJP and its allies' MLAs, MPs, district presidents, and senior leaders took to the streets enforcing the bandh and raising slogans against the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. The impact was more pronounced in districts like Patna, Begusarai, Siwan, Katihar, Purnia, Gopalganj, Munger, Bhagalpur, Sheohar, Jehanabad, Darbhanga, Gaya, Rohtas, Aurangabad and Bhojpur. In some places, bandh supporters blocked vehicular movement. Most shops and markets in major urban centres remained shut. Intercity bus services were suspended in several districts, severely affecting mobility.

In Darbhanga, three members of a family were reportedly injured in an attack by a group of protestors. All the injured were rushed to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for treatment.