The 24-hour strike called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) partially affected life in Siliguri and its surrounding areas on Monday.
While the transport movement was normal throughout the day and government schools and offices were open, private establishments, including shops and marketplaces, remained closed.
Police, sources said, have arrested 27 bandh supporters from different locations.
The VHP, which is part of the Sangh Parivar, had called the strike following the arrest of some people after the attack on a meat seller in Matigara block, on the outskirts of Siliguri, on Friday.
As a backlash, a group of people had vandalised the residence and shop of a BJP supporter at Tumbajote, also in Matigara. He and his relative were injured in the attack.
This incident had also prompted the VHP to call the strike.
On Monday morning, the bandh supporters gathered in front of the Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus and at prominent crossings like Jhankar More, Matigara, Sevoke Road and Champasari. They held demonstrations when buses and other vehicles started moving along the roads.
The VHP also organised multiple rallies in different locations and shouted slogans in support of the strike.
A group of bandh supporters who had assembled close to the Mahananda Bridge, which is near Jhankar More, got into an altercation with some shopowners when the traders were asked to close the shops.
A street vendor’s stall was ransacked during the incident, and both groups had a scuffle. A police team went to the spot and brought the situation under control.
“The strike was called against anti-social activities. We have exempted all emergency services and rituals from the strike. People have responded positively to our appeal, and the strike was successful,” claimed Laxman Bansal, a VHP leader based
in Siliguri.
The government-aided schools in and around the city reopened on Monday after the summer vacation. Although the attendance was low in most schools, there was no obstruction from the bandh supporters at the educational institutions.
Trinamool Congress leaders, who criticised the VHP and the BJP for trying to foment tension, on Monday accused the saffron camp of trying to disrupt normal life in and around Siliguri on the first working day of the week.
“The strike was called to disrupt normal life, but the VHP and the BJP failed miserably. People of Siliguri and neighbouring areas didn’t respond to their call,” said Vedabrata Dutta, the spokesperson for Trinamool’s Darjeeling district committee (plains).