Rail, road services hit in Jharkhand

RANCHI - Rail and road services were affected in Jharkhand Tuesday as the state witnessed a two-day Maoist shutdown and a nationwide strike by 13 political parties against price hike.

\”The Maoist strike had crippled life in rural areas, but the 13 parties strike affected life in both urban and rural areas. The national highway wore a deserted look. Coal transportation and mining activities were also affected,\” a police officer told IANS.

Shops were closed and people were not allowed to move on vehicles in Ranchi, Giridih, Hazaribagh and in other parts of the state.

At many places, political activists also blocked rail services to enforce the strike. \”More than 350 strike supporters have been arrested across the state. The rail and road services were worst affected due to the twin strike,\” the police officer said.

Altogether 13 political parties, including the Samajwadi Party, Left parties, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have called a 12-hour strike to oppose the hikes in prices of petroleum and fertilizers and shooting prices of essential commodities.

At least 10 trains were cancelled and seven diverted as a precautionary measure to avert Maoist attack.

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) called the shutdown in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa, demanding that four arrested rebels - Rajesh, Krishna, Rajan and Chandrashekhar - be produced in court.

Alleging that the rebels have not been produced in court, the CPI-Maoist said in a press statement to local newspapers: \”These four comrades were arrested in West Midnapore district of West Bengal on April 16.\”