New Delhi India’s opposition-sponsored shutdown to protest against the rise in petrol prices evoked a mixed response around the country yesterday.
While life in opposition-ruled states was paralysed, the response was lukewarm in states where the Congress is in power. The shutdown was generally peaceful, but some incidents of public transport buses being set on fire were reported in some states.
In the national capital Delhi, leaders of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blocked traffic on several key roads. BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was taken into custody as he led protesters at the Akshardham Temple in East Delhi. Left Front leaders including Prakash Karat and A.B. Bardhan also courted arrest in central Delhi.
Delhi’s only dependable option — the metro train — was also jam-packed, adding to the commuters’ woes.
The strike paralysed life in large parts of Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai with public transport off the roads and government buses being stoned in several places.
Violence feared
Despite stringent security measures taken by the government, there were at least four incidents of government buses being stoned in Pune and Thane.
Most shops and commercial establishments, showrooms and hotels observed a shutdown, fearing violence. Protestors barged into establishments that had opened in the morning and forced them to join the shutdown.
However, most corporate houses and offices in the city continued to work like a normal weekday.
Later in the day, local trains resumed services and a few auto-rickshaws also started plying within select pockets of the western suburbs.
Authorities at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport made special arrangements for passengers arriving or departing from Mumbai. The focus was also on transit passengers, who need to commute between the national and international terminals.
