Patna: The all-India bandh against the recent Supreme Court ruling on the SC/ST Act crippled the city on Monday.
Many were stranded for hours on roads with train and bus services hit. 

Garments trader Jamil Ahmed, a resident of Langar Toli, was to travel to Ranchi by bus from Meethapur with five relatives and three children. He had to cancel his trip.

“Buses and vehicles were being stopped, so we had to cancel the tickets. If I was alone, I could have taken the risk but I had my children and wife with me,” Ahmed said.

The protesters damaged many autos and rickshaws.

Slogan-shouting Bhim Sena members also blocked railway tracks at many places, affecting several trains. 

Shops in the city remained shut till the afternoon. Though police were deputed at important roundabouts like Income Tax, Hartali Mor, Dakbungalow, Anisabad and Saguna Mor, the protesters ensured traffic crawled.

Shops, including  bakeries, jewellery, cellphone and garment outlets, near the Dakbungalow roundabout, considered the heart of the city, were shut. Alleged Bhim Sena activists also tried to barge into hotel Maurya but could not enter the premises, with the hotel security staff handling the situation calmly. 

Innumerable railway passengers had to walk carrying their luggage as there was no public transport. One such person, Ashutosh Kumar, had to walk 5km to reach home.
 

The Gandhi Setu, which connects Patna to north Bihar, was equally affected. Long queues of vehicles were seen as protesters had blocked the approach roads.

Patna High Court summoned city special superintendent of police (SSP) over large scale violence that took place during the bandh.

SSP Manu Maharaj was summoned by Justice Rakesh Kumar, who faced trouble reaching the court from home.

Justice Kumar also called advocate-general (AG) Lalit Kishore along with the SSP to clarify on some points.

The court asked the SSP: “What were the preparations made by the district administration during the bandh for smooth flow of traffic? What were the exemptions made during the bandh?” 

Bandh organisers usually allow essential services such as legal and health to function normally.

Both the Patna SSP and the advocate general apologised before the court for the inconvenience caused, and assured the court that it would not happen again.

“We have all the respect for the judiciary and we will see that this does not happen in the future,” the AG told the court.
The court then directed the government to furnish all the details before the court — what preparations were made for the bandh and also what measures the administration took to contain the violence reported from different parts of the state capital. 
 

Additional reporting by Nisha Nt Sinha