Bharat Bandh: Protesters in Patna carried a motorcycle on their shoulders.
As the nation-wide shutdown called by the opposition took effect on Monday, Bihar was one of the states where the protests by various opposition parties were witnessed.
Workers of Sharad's Yadav's newly-launched party, Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), protested in a unique manner - they carried a motorcycle on their shoulders to protest fuel price rise. The motorcycle was carried by a bunch of protesters wearing LJD headbands.
Private schools in Patna are closed today. An hour or so after the shutdown officially began, no incidents of violence was reported from Bihar.
However, traffic jams were reported from rural areas of Patna, Muzaffarpur, Lakhisarai and Nalanda districts, police said. Train services were also affected in many parts of Bihar. Over a dozen long route trains had to stopped at Patna, Gaya, Bhojpur, Jehanabad, Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur railway stations.
At least 21 opposition parties, led by the Congress, are participating in the 'Bharat Bandh' or shutdown today to protest the rise in fuel prices in the country and depreciation of the rupee.
In Bihar, the bandh is being supported by Lalu Yadav's party, the Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and the Left.
Petrol and diesel prices set new records Sunday. Petrol price was raised by 12 paise a litre and diesel by Rs. 10 paise per litre on Sunday.On Sunday, hours before the opposition-backed shutdown, the BJP government in Rajasthan announced tax cuts on petrol and diesel, which led to prices falling by Rs. 2 per litre.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI and IANS)