Bihar Protest: Rail and Road Blockades Over Reservation

The Bihar Police used lathi-charge and water cannons to disperse protesters supporting Bharat Bandh over community-based reservation. Demonstrations halted train services and blocked traffic in multiple districts. No reported injuries, but detentions occurred and the situation was controlled. Independent MP Pappu Yadav criticized the NDA government’s stance on reservation policies.

The Bihar Police on Wednesday resorted to lathi-charge and water cannons to disperse protesters who had set up rail and road blockades in support of the Bharat Bandh, which demanded community-based reservations. Train services were disrupted at Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations, and traffic was blocked in Patna, Hajipur, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, and Begusarai districts.

In Patna, crowds blocking traffic at Dak Bungalow Chowk were chased away by police. 'Security personnel had to lathi-charge to disperse protesters who obstructed the movement of traffic and broke police barricades. No injuries were reported, and the situation is now under control,' Patna SSP Rajeev Mishra told PTI.

Further clashes ensued in Jehanabad district on National Highway-83 near Unta Chowk, resulting in the detention of five individuals. In other districts like Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, and Saran, protesters attempted to block roads and burn tires but were swiftly handled by security personnel.

At Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations, a significant number of protesters halted the Bihar Sampark Kranti and Farakka Express trains. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and district police promptly restored order.

East Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Sharswati Chandra confirmed disruptions in train services in Ara, Chausa (Buxar), Darbhanga, and other locations. 'Protestors disrupted train movements briefly but were quickly removed from the tracks and stations and control was restored,' he said.

Independent Lok Sabha MP Rajesh Ranjan, known as Pappu Yadav, led protests in Patna and criticized the NDA government's stance on SC/ST reservations. 'The Centre is against reservation for SC/ST and other extremely backward classes and aims to undermine these provisions,' Yadav stated in Purnea.

The Bharat Bandh was called by 21 organizations after the Supreme Court's ruling on August 1, which allowed states to sub-classify Scheduled Castes and Tribes for quota allocation. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other INDIA bloc partners supported the bandh.

(With inputs from agencies.)