Mixed response to bandh call

Bus and train services were normal across the state,barring Ludhiana and Khanna,primarily because the region has been at the centre of violence and people were apprehensive. Ludhiana remained under curfew on Monday too. The groups had announced that traffic would not be disrupted during the bandh.

The bandh had the maximum effect in the four districts of Moga,Patiala,Amritsar and Nawanshahr. Around 90 per cent of commercial establishments were closed in these districts.

Amritsar,Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran too witnessed a 90-per cent bandh. Schools,shops,banks,even ATMs remained shut. Offices of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee and educational institutions were also closed.

There was some tension when some youths tried to forcibly shut shops in the busy Hall Bazar and Lawrence Road areas in Amritsar,but it subsided soon. Sikh Students’ Federation activists burnt the effigy of Ashutosh,and raised anti-government slogans,specifically targeting CM Parkash Singh Badal. But no serious violence was reported,said SSP P K Rai.

In Ropar,Barnala,Fatehgarh Sahib,Jagraon and Faridkot,the bandh had limited effect. From Patiala,reports say that shops and commercial establishments in the sensitive walled city area were shut throughout the day. The area has a history of ethnic violence. Other parts of the town remained partially open,as most shops opened by the evening,largely restoring normalcy. Vehicular traffic had reduced largely due to the bandh call,and there were very few passengers in the government-run buses.

In Mansa and Mohali districts,however,there was hardly any effect of the bandh. In Ropar,Mansa and Barnala,a small number of schools were open too.

Brief protest in Jalandhar

Though the bandh remained largely peaceful in Jalandhar,there was a brief protest. The protestors,after meeting in Gurdwara Singh Sabha at Model Town,came out on the roads and marched inside the main markets of the city,brandishing swords and canes. They damaged some vends and public property. The police acted swiftly and snatched their swords,only to return them after the protestors said they would not brandish them. The protest was,however,called off after some time.

Sikh bodies to meet on December 12

Radical Sikh groups that had given the bandh call will hold their next meeting on December 12 at Chowk Mehta near Amritsar to decide their next course of action. The decision taken at the meeting will be announced on December 14.