Barring stray incidents of violence and blockade of trains, the bandh call given by Youth Congress and NSUI passed off peacefully in Chhattisgarh. The bandh, which evoked a near total response, was called to protest against CBI’s chargesheet against Ajit Jogi. Jogi supporters burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Vajpayee and CBI at various places. Shops and commercial establishments remained closed in all major towns and transport services were affected.Jogi had declared that the people of Chhattisgarh would give a ‘‘befitting’’ reply to the BJP for misusing agencies like IB and CBI to frame an Adivasi CM, in the run up to polls. In the tribal belt of Bastar, Dantewara, Kanker and Sarguja, the bandh was almost complete. There was some resistance from BJP and NCP, which took out rallies to motivate traders to boycott the bandh. A clash was aborted at Jaistamb Chowk with police intervention. AICC general secretary Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was in Raipur, claimed the bandh was a success. He ruled out possibilities of Jogi’s resignation and reaffirmed the party’s support to fight out ‘‘BJP’s vindictive action’’. However, there was usual vehicular traffic plying amid police deployment in sensitive places.
