Jharkhand road, rail services hit, 700 held

RANCHI - As many as 700 people were arrested in Jharkhand Monday during an opposition-sponsored strike against rising fuel prices that closed down schools and shops and hit road and railway services.

Long-route buses went off the roads and trains were stopped in Giridih and Dhanbad among other places, inconveniencing the commuters.

As a precaution, schools in almost all districts were closed. Most shops were also shut.

In Ranchi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) activists enforced the strike. Many burnt tyres on the main roads of the state capital.

“More than 700 strike supporters, a majority of whom belong to BJP and JD-U, have been arrested from different parts of the state,” a police spokesperson told IANS.

Mining activities were affected.

Left parties also joined the strike while Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) extended “moral support”.