Jamshedpur: The daylong bandh called by NDA allies on Friday, demanding the immediate arrest of all accused in the bar murder case and against the alleged deterioration in the law-and-order situation, received a mixed response across the city, with markets remaining shut for most of the day and public transport partially affected.Himanshu Singh (24) died on Monday after a group of people assaulted him when he objected to them allegedly harassing a woman on the bar’s dance floor on Saturday night. So far, police have arrested five persons, including two minors. The incident, however, took a political turn, forcing govt to reshuffle East Singhbhum SSP.Several trade bodies extended support to the bandh, leading to the closure of commercial establishments in Bistupur, Sakchi, Golmuri, Kadma, Sonari, Jugsalai, Sidhgora and Mango area during the morning hours. Business activity, however, resumed by the evening.While many traders voluntarily downed shutters, others closed shops fearing vandalism by bandh supporters. Fruit and vegetable vendors were also affected, with activists allegedly forcing them to remove carts and shut shops. Delivery personnel too were reportedly prevented from carrying out their work.“Traders have voluntarily supported the bandh as they realise that the rising crime graph eventually affects the trade and business environment,” said Suresh Sonthalia, joint national general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders.Public transport services witnessed partial disruption. Passenger buses remained off the roads, while autos and taxis operated in limited numbers. Reports of bandh supporters stopping passenger-carrying autos emerged from Bagbera, Golmuri, Jugsalai, Dimna and Mango.“Taxi bike came in handy for me to travel to Tatanagar railway station as I feared auto-rickshaws could be stopped midway by bandh activists,” said Dhruv Jha, a traveller headed to Bihar.Most private schools remained closed, while govt ones functioned with low attendance. In neighbouring Adityapur, markets remained shut, though SMEs in the industrial area reported normal worker attendance.Heavy security arrangements ensured the bandh passed off peacefully. More than 2,000 police personnel, 50-plus magistrates, 10 bike-mobile squads, and RAF and RAP teams were deployed across nine sectoral zones and 31 sensitive locations.Sub-divisional officer (Dhalbhum) Arnab Mishra said no untoward incident or violence was reported during the bandh. Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Mahato thanked residents for supporting the bandh call.
