Patna, May 15: Around 72,000 homeguards went on an indefinite strike on Friday, affecting normal policing and security check across the state.

The homeguards, on the call of Bihar Homeguard Volunteers Association, deposited their arms and ammunition with the respective police lines of the districts and stayed away from duty.

Out of 72,000 homeguards, nearly 54,000 are deployed at the police stations, jails, courts, banks and the official residences of senior officials, on rotation. Their demands include an allowance hike, accident coverage, and post-retirement benefits.

The association president Arun Kumar Thakur said: "The members of the association are sitting on a hunger strike near R-Block in Patna to press the government to grant the homeguards' demands."

The Jitan Ram Manjhi government had earlier announced a raise in the daily allowances of homeguards from Rs 300 to Rs 400, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years and provision of other benefits. The same government, last December, declared that the homeguards who had completed 20 years of service, including 10 years of working days, would be given a one-time grant of Rs 1.5 lakh when they are 60.

None of the decisions were implemented when Nitish came to power. Thakur said the routine patrolling, security checks at banks and civil courts and the offices of the government were affected. "The strike also affected traffic regulations in Patna and other parts of the state," he added.

The attendance of the home guard personnel at the official residences of senior bureaucrats, ministers and legislators was also negligible. "Everything at my home has gone for a toss today as a female homeguard deployed as cook is away onstrike," an inspector-general said on condition of anonymity.

Another police officer said the strike by the homeguards would affect the law and order situation if the agitation continues for a longer period. "We are already facing shortage of manpower at the police stations, especially in the crime prone districts," he said.

Thakur said the members of the association would resort to chakka jaam on May 20 and then jail bharo abhiyan. Director-general-cum-commandant-general of Bihar Homeguards Paras Nath Roy said he had asked all the district magistrates and the superintendents of police to make arrangements from their own resources till the strike was called off. "The government is serious about the genuine demands of the jawans," Roy added.

Additional police forces from the Bihar Military Police have been provided to the district police chiefs to carry out routine patrol and other related work.