Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : The bandh called by Bheem Sena to protest a recent order of the Apex court relating to SC/ST Act evoked mixed response here on April 2, 2018. Thousands of people, supported by different political parties, took out a procession from different parts of Bhojpur district and forced the businessmen and traders to down their shutters.
Almost all the government schools, business establishments, cinema halls, petrol pumps remained closed till noon. Attendance in government offices and courts were also thin and heavy vehicles remained off the road though light vehicles were seen plying on the road. The bandh supporters went to Ara railway station in procession and squatted on the railway tracks since morning paralysing the movement of several trains for about three hours. As a result a number of long distance trains under Danapur division of the East Central Railway, Hajipur, remained stranded at different railway stations.
They also went to the Vakalatkhana at the Ara civil court and went on rampage there damaging properties worth lakhs of rupees there. Even the mediapersons were not spared and thrashed when they reached there to cover the incident.
The bandh supporters also blocked roads by putting hurdles and parking trucks, tractors at Shivganj, Ahirpurva, Sapna Cinema Mor, Badi Mathia Mor, Karman Tola, Chandawa, Gopali Chowk, Dharahara, station road, Tribuani Kothi tri-junction, Shaheed Bhawan roundabout, Dhobi ghatawa, Anaith besides Ara-Sahar, Ara-Mohania, Ara-Sandesh, Ara-Barahara roads. They burnt tyres on roads and raised slogans against the Central government and PM Narendra Modi. The students particularly examinees were a harried lot.
Though the Bhojpur police claimed to have deployed heavy police force to maintain law and order, not a single police personnel was seen anywhere when the bandh supporters were on rampage.