Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : Bihar bandh called by All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Inqalavi Naujawan Sabha in protest against deplorable condition of education in the state, corruption in the education department and demand for a high level inquiry into the Intermediate examination 2017 results and free re-evaluation of answer -books evoked mixed response in Bhojpur district on April 8, 2017.
The Bhojpur district administration had made elaborate security arrangements to deal with any untoward incident during the bandh. Almost all the schools, colleges, business establishments remained closed and vehicles were off the road.
The students took out a procession from their office located near eastern railway crossing, Ara, that passed through the main thoroughfares of Ara town and forced the traders, business establishments to down their shutters. The bandh supporters also blocked the road by putting hurdles and burning tyres on road at Patel Bus Stand, Dhobighatawa, Shivganj, Anaith, station road and also at different places in other parts of Bhojpur district and paralyzed movement of vehicular traffic though the court and government offices remained open.
Later, they reached Ara railway station in a procession and stopped the Sanghmitra Express on platform no 1 by squatting on the railway track and boarding the rail engine for an hour and raised slogans against the Nitish government. As a result, several long distance trains remained stranded at different railway stations under Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR).
Addressing the protestors, Pappu, district president, AISA, said that education system had collapsed in Bihar. The government is playing with the future of students and corruption prevails in the education department, he alleged.