Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara: The Bihar bandh called by the CPI (ML) to press its seven point demands including high level judicial inquiry into involvement of patrons in the topper scams, probe into failure of education policy, seizure of property of education mafia and officials involved in the Intermediate exam toppers scams, nationalization of all the educational institutions that are not given government aid and revision of all the results of Matriculation and Intermediate and withdrawal of ban on promotion in services to the SC/ST evoked good response in Bhojpur district.
Almost all the business establishments, schools, colleges and petrol pumps remained closed. The bandh supporters took out a procession from their office near eastern railway crossing at Ara that passed through the main thoroughfares of the town and forced the businessmen and traders to down their shutters. School and college administrations too were forced to close their institutions. They reached Ara railway station in a procession and stopped Sasaram-Patna Intercity train by boarding the engine and squatting on the railways track raising slogans against the state government and CM Nitish Kumar. As a result a number of long distance trains remained stranded at different railway stations between Danapur and Mughalsarai railway station under Danapur rail division. The passengers particularly women and children had to go without water at least for hours.
The bandh supporters also blocked Ara-Patna, Ara-Sasaram, Ara-Buxar, Ara-Mohania, Ara-Sahar, Ara-Sandesh main roads. They sat on dharana at the Patel Bus Stand, Tribuwani Kothi roundabout, Shivganj, Nawada, Badi Mathia and Dhobighatawa at Ara, Abdul Bari bridge at Koelwar and Isarhi near Jagdishpur on NH 30. Almost all vehicles were off the road. The bandh supporters also damaged several buses and other small vehicles plying on the road. They also had a tiff with the police at different places. The police took at least 40 bandh supporters under their custody at Jagdishpur as a precautionary measure.
Union minister of State for Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh, who was on way to trouble torn Ranisagar village under Shahpur police station in Bhojpur district had to face move bandh supporters. As he reached Koelwar bridge, the bandh supporters stopped him and his vehicles and did not allow him to move further and had to come to Ara on a motorcycle.The same situation prevailed in Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur district and people especially students and businessmen were left with no option than to stay indoors.
In fact, roads of Ara wore a deserted look on the third consecutive day on Monday. On Satruday morning, some miscreants had killed a businessman Munna Sai at the gate of his residence at New Area Babu Bazaar area under Town police station. Immediately, all the business establishments closed and entire Ara town looked deserted. On Sunday, the HAM-S and the BJP had called Ara bandh in protest against the murder and on Monday, the CPI-ML observed Bihar bandh.