SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 21: Several protesters enforcing the Bharat Bandh call were taken into custody while blocking traffic movement in the Coal City in the early hours of Wednesday.
Burger King, Domino’s outlets vandalised
Police and protesters squabbling was witnessed in the Saraidhela police station area where agitators damaged Burger King and Domino’s outlets and sabotaged an outlet near the IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) main gate.
Traffic movement was the main target of protesters. The bandh supporters completely stopped traffic movement at Randhir Verma Chowk near Court More. They squatted on the road (NH-32 which crosses through the heart of the city) and even did not allow Dhanbad SDM Uday Rajak to go while his office was merely 100 metres away from there.
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Traffic movement paralysed
The police had to take tough action when the protesters paralysed the traffic movement near Bartend Bus stand, Dhaiyya main road by burning tyres on the road.
Dhanbad – Bokaro Main road was paralyzed for several hours near Mahuda where BSP supporters put up the blockade and forced police to retreat.
The supporters also blocked the Dhanbad- Jharia main road near Bastakola for several hours and sat on a dharna there. Protesters blocked the traffic movement on inter-state GT Raod (N-H-2) at Topchanchi for several hours.
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JMM MLA stages dharna on GT Road
JMM MLA Mathura Prasad Mahto along with his supporters sat on the inter-state GT road and while addressing agitators said that the Supreme Court should reconsider its decision on reservation for the creamy layer.
In the wake of Bharat Bandh’s call, authorities of all government and private schools in the district had declared a holiday. Even college principals had suspended classes. From a safety point of view, major business establishments did not open in the morning.
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In Dhanbad, Congress, JMM, BSP, CPIM, RJD, All India Students Association and other regional outfits supported the bandh.
A senior police official said that the exact number of agitators who have been taken into custody will be declared in the late evening after getting details from all police stations.
