Patna: Jan Adhikar Party supporters vandalise vehicles during 'Bharat Bandh' protest against fuel price hike and depreciation of the rupee
Bharat Bandh called by Congress-led group of Opposition parties against rising petrol and diesel prices disrupted the normal life across India today as protesters indulged in violence despite promise of a peaceful protest. Schools, colleges and transport services were hit in parts of the country even as banks functioned as per usual. Trains and buses were targets of stone pelting and arson in at least Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Bihar. (See pics: Bharat Bandh turns violent)
According to the protest clarion issued by Congress, the Bharat Bandh intends to raise voice against 'price rise', 'fall' of rupee against the dollar and other issues that 'affect' the people across the country.
While on one hand, parties like BJD, TMC, Shiv Sena are not supporting the shutdown call by Congress, parties including DMK, SP, MNS, BSP, NCP, RLD, RJD, CPI, CPM, AIDUF, NC, JMM and AAP are backing it.
State governments across the country have made a slew of arrangements to avoid any disruptions to normal life. In Odisha and Karnataka, the governments have ordered schools to remain shut.
01:01 pm: Jehanabad SDO denies reports of 'bandh death'. "The death of the child is not related to bandh or traffic jam, the relatives had left late from their home," SDO Paritosh Kumar on reports that a 2-year-old patient died after the vehicle was stuck in Bharath Bandh protests
12:58 pm: Sitaram Yecchury, D Raja and other CPI workers detained at Parliament Street police station
12:54 pm: Arunachal Pradesh: Normal life was affected in Arunachal Pradesh by the Bharat bandh today. All shops and business establishments including banks and educational institutions were closed in the state and private vehicles were off the road. In the state capital about 100 Congress activists including Mahila Congress workers, Youth Congress president Geli Ete and Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) secretary John Taksing were arrested by police, a police officer said. The protesters burnt tyres in many places in the state capital and in various other places to block roads, Superintendent of Police, Itanagar, M Harsh Vardhan said.
12:52 pm: Everyone has a right to protest but what is happening today? Petrol pumps and buses being set ablaze, putting to risk lives. A child died after an ambulance was stuck in the protests in Bihar's Jehanabad. Who is responsible?: Ravi Shankar Prasad,Union Minister
12:46 pm: People of India may be upset over petrol and diesel price rise but they do not stand with the violent protests being held today. The Opposition parties are trying to create a sense of fear amongst public: Ravi Shankar Prasad
12:45 pm: As explained before, the rate of fuel is not under our control. Political unrest in Venezuela, US sanctions on Iran and delay in fracking oil production US have all contributed to price rise. These factors are beyond our control, but we are not trying to give any justification as we stand with the people of the nation: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Also read | Bharat Bandh: 'Time to change Modi govt will come soon', Manmohan Singh hits out at BJP
12:43 pm: BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad conduct press conference on Bharat Bandh, slams 'politics violence'
Watch video:
12:39 pm:
12:35 pm: Uttar Pradesh: Situation grows tense as government deploys RAF in Lucknow to deter Congress workers from forcing the businessmen to shutdown shops in wake of Bharat Bandh.
12:35 pm: Maharashtra: MNS workers detained outside Sidhivinayak temple in Mumbai as they showed black flags to CM Devndra Fadnavis
12:33 pm: Two-year-old dies after protesters block ambulance for hours in Bihar's Jehanabad; reports of stuck ambulances also coming from Maharashtra's Thane and others parts of Bihar
12:14 pm: Bharat Bandh at a glace so far:
11:38 am: PM Modi only thinks for his capitalist friends, while he flinches in granting loan waivers to farmers, thousands of crores are given to businessmen: Rahul Gandhi
11:38 am: The entire Opposition stands united here and united we will defeat BJP: Rahul Gandhi
11:37 am: Country is fed up of PM Modi's speeches: Rahul Gandhi
11:35 am: Narendra Modi ji is silent, he has not spoken a word on rising prices of fuel, or condition of farmers, neither on atrocities against women: Rahul Gandhi
11:33 am: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi addresses rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan: 'What Modi govt has done in four years, no one could achieve in last 70 years - he has broken the economy. Rates are at all time high, Rupee is at all time low.'
Watch video:
11:30 am: Jharkhand: Fifty eight Congress activists including Palamau district Congress president Jaias Ranjan Pathak were taken into custody for forcibly trying to enforce the bandh, Superintendent of Police Inderjeet Mahata said. Barring Garhwa district, normal life is not affected in Pakur, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Lohardaga, Gumla, Ramgarh, Giridih, Latehar, Palamau, Dhanbad and other districts, according to reports.
11:24 am: Bihar: Jan Adhikar Party workers block passage of an ambulance in Bihar's Katihar even as party chief Pappu Yadav told India TV that their motive is to put pressure on the government and not stage violence. He assured that their protest won't disrupt life or cause any harm.
Bharat Bandh: Jan Adhikar Party workers block passage of an ambulance in Bihar's Katihar
11:20 am: Uttar Pradesh: Frustrated opposition doesn't have any strategy and leadership,what else can be expected from them? I hope God gives them sense so they can differentiate between positive and negative otherwise in future they will even lose their position as Opposition: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
11:13 am: Bandh effects visible in Kerala. While continued as per routine in some parts, shops, markets and establishments remained shut in others. There was a complete shutdown in Kasargode, the town that shares a border with Karnataka, as interstate buses kept off the roads. While the Congress workers are out on the streets, the ruling Left supporters appear to maintain a low profile and have stressed that relief operations in flood-affected areas will go on unaffected.
11:09 am: Bharat Bandh: Violent protests break out across India. Jan Adhikar Party workers vanadlise bus in Patna, MNS workers create ruckus at a petrol pump in Ujjain and protesters puncture buses in Mumbai.
11:07 am: Who says BJP is not worried, when if Modi ji brought 11 per cent inflation down to 4 per cent it was display of our sensitiveness towards people. The protesters are being organised by forces which never want Indians to live in peace of prosper: Muqtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP leader
11:07 am: 'Bharat' will not be 'bandh', it will keep moving and progressing. No one is paying heed to this call by Congress, their 'Mahagatbandhan' balloon will also burst soon: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP leader
11:05 am: Uttar Pradesh: BJP is not worried about people. Despite the protests and public anger, BJP has hiked the rates even today. Today they say price rise is fine. Tomorrow they will say inflation brings prosperity: Akhilesh Yadav, SP chief in Lucknow
10:58 am: Maharashtra: MNS workers in Mumbai forcefully shut down shops and establishments at Bharatmata Junction Naka, Parel
10:40 am: Modi government has done a lot which is not in interest of nation, it has now crossed limits. The time to change this government will come soon.Former PM Manmohan Singh urges opposition parties to shed their differences and unite to save democracy in country: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh at Congress and opposition parties protest against fuel price hike
10:30 am: Bihar: Jan Adhikar Party workers vandalise vehicles during Bharat Bandh protest in Patna against fuel price hike.
10:20 am: East Coast Railway Zone has cancelled 12 trains including Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express and Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Inter City Express.
10:15 am: Mumbai: Congress workers stage 'Rail Roko' at Andheri railway station against fuel price hike.
10:02 am: Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh reach Ramlila Maidan. At least leaders of 20 Opposition parties reach protest site to extend their support to Bharath Bandh.
09:51 am: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who was put under house arrest this morning for a while to mitigate protests, gets into scuffle with Mumbai police while trying to stage rail roko.
09:49 am:
09:36 am: Over 20 Opposition parties have lent their support to Congress for the protest against petrol and diesel price hike. Representatives of most of te parties present on the dias at the Ramlila Maidan, except leaders from SP and BSP.
09:30 am:
09:27 am: Rupee hits new record low of 72.18, drops 45 paise against US dollar
09:27 am: Rajasthan: Protesters blocked train despite a massive security cover in and around the state capital. Rajasthan govt had issued a 4 per cent VAT rebate on fuel prices last night to give some respite to people. Congress workers also blocked train near Tonk in Rajasthan
Also read | Rajasthan slashes VAT on petrol, diesel by 4%; prices to come down by Rs 2.5 a litre
09:25 am:
09:23 am: Bihar: Violent incidences being reported from various parts of the state. Proters pelted stones at train in Patna. Similar reports surfacing form Khargia and Ara.
09:13 am: AAP lends support to protest after denying it. Senior party leader Sanjay Singh attends Bharat Bandh march in New Delhi, says AAP will always support cause-based politics.
09:15 am: Stones pelted on a BEST bus in Mumbai's Vashi Naka and Vadala Pratiksha Nagar. No reports of injuries.
09:02 am: Apart from Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Gehlot, Randeep Surjewala and Ghulam Nabi Azad present at the protest march. From other parties, Sharad Yadav only senior leader in the rally so far.
09:00 am: Rahul Gandhi begins 'paidal march' after offering holy water, he fetched from Kailash Mansarover during his recent pilgrimage, at Mahatma Gandhi's final resting place at Rajghat.
08:58 am: Jan Adhikar Party Loktantrik workers block railway tracks in Patna's Rajendra Nagar Terminal railway station in support to Bharat Bandh that has been called by Congress and other opposition parties today over fuel price hike.
08:55 am: Protesters in Gujarat's Bharuch burn tyres and stop buses; traffic movement halted.
8:55 am: Bihar: Pappu Yadav reaches Rajendra Nagar Terminal station with his supporters to stage protest on railway tracks.
08:49 am: Pune: MNS workers pelt stones on three buses. The glass of buses broken. The passengers deboarded quickly to avoid injuries.
08:45 am: Thick security cover deployed in Mumbai's Dadar even as bus, school and tax services started as per usual. The vegetable market is also open.
08:42 am: Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrives at Rajghat to join bandh protest against fuel price hike
08:37 am: Rahul Gandhi to lead Congress march from Raj Ghat to Ramlila Maidan on foot. Sonia Gandhi to address the workers at the maidan. Gandhi was supposed to return from his Kailash Mansarover Yatra on September 12, but he has cut it short to attend Bharat Bandh protest.
08:32 am: The bandh has been called to protest against the rise in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders. Everyone has come together for this, even the parties who have refused to endorse the ban have also lent their moral support to the cause: Congress leader Ashok Gahlot to India TV
08:30 am: Maharashtra: Extra deployment of forces has been done across the city today. Firm action will be taken on any miscreants taking the law into their hands, tweets Commissioner Of Police, Pune City, Dr Venkatesham K
08:28 am: CPI and CPM workers in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada hold protest against fuel price hike.
07:51 am: Telangana: Congress workers hold protests in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district's Bhongir and Musheerabad bus depot in Hyderabad, against fuel price hike.
07:12 am: Heavy security arrangements have been made across India even as Congress has promised that bandh will be a peaceful protest.
07:10 am: Congress and other party leaders, led by Sonia Gandhi, are expected to sound the bandh bugle after visiting Raj Ghat at 8 am.
07:08 am: Kalaburagi: Bus services of North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) aren't operational today as Bharat Bandh has been called by Congress and other opposition parties against fuel price hike.
06:46 am: CPM protestors take to roads in early morning as Bharat Bandh, called by Left parties, begins. While Congress-led group of Opposition parties called for a bandh from 9 am to 3 pm, Left parties have called for a 12-hour bandh from 6 am.
06:43 am: Odisha Congress workers block a train in Sambalpur as part of Bharat Bandh.
06:27 am: Petrol at Rs 80.73/litre (increase by Rs 0.23/litre) and diesel at Rs 72.83/litre (increase by Rs 0.22/litre) in Delhi. Petrol at Rs 88.12/litre (increase by Rs 0.23/litre) and diesel at Rs 77.32/litre (increase by Rs 0.23/litre) in Mumbai.
06:20 am: TMC supports protest but stays away from bandh: The ruling party in West Bengal TMC has decided to stay away from the bandh and has made a slew of arrangements to avoid disruptions to life. While the Congress has called the bandh for six hours from 9.00 am, the CPI(M)-led Left Front has called a 12-hour bandh starting from 6.00 am. Additional police personnel would be deployed throughout the state to ensure that there was no disruption or violence in connection with the bandh call.
06:15 am: Normal life is likely to be affected in JDS-Congress ruled Karnataka Monday by the 'Bharat Bandh'. Functioning of public transport system, cinema theatres, multiplexes among others were expected to be hit in the state during the nation-wide bandh with the ruling Congress claiming the support of various trade unions. Schools have been ordered to remain shut.
06:10 am: MP fuel pumps to remain open, says owners' assn: Speaking to PTI, Madhya Pradesh Petrol Pump Owners
Association president Ajay Singh said that fuel pumps would remain open Monday. "Petrol pumps across Madhya Pradesh will remain open and work normally on Monday," Ajay Singh said Sunday.
Leaders of several opposition parties hold a torchlight procession during a protest against the fuel price hike ahead of Bharat Bandh, in Ranchi, Sunday
06:05 am: 'Centre increased excise duty 12 times on petrol, diesel': Gujarat Congress leaders accused the Centre of revising excise duty on petrol and diesel twelve times leading to a sharp spike in their prices. The BJP-led Union government pocketed Rs 11 lakh crore from the public by raising taxes on fuel and not including petrol and diesel under GST, Congress leaders Sushil Kumar Shinde, Rajiv Satav and Amit Chavda claimed in two separate press conferences in Rajkot and Ahmedabad.
Also read | No need for 'knee-jerk' reactions on rupee fall: Piyush Goyal
06:00 am: Schools to remain closed in Odisha: The ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha Sunday said it is neither opposing nor supporting the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the Congress on Monday to protest the hike in fuel prices. BJD spokesman Samir Ranjan Das "We are not supporting nor opposing the Bharat Bandh." He, however, said the state government has already announced holiday of schools on Monday keeping in view the safety of children.
