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Patna: Road services were affected and train movement disrupted during a dawn-to-dusk Chakka Jam (complete statewide shutdown) called by the opposition Grand Alliance (GA) in Bihar in protest against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision ( SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar before the upcoming Assembly elections.

State headquarters sources said here today that security arrangements have been tightened in view of the Chakka Jam call. Instructions have been issued to the police superintendents to take stern action against trouble mongers. Security personnel have been deployed at various places across the state, sources said.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Chakka Jam were blocking roads and disturbing train movements in various districts across the state. Since morning GA workers have taken to the streets across various districts and were enforcing road blockades.

An independent MP from Purnea Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav along with his supporters protested at the railway track in the state capital and stopped a passenger train early in the morning.

Yadav said the decision for Chakka Jaam was taken under the leadership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He said that the Opposition would fight against the SIR decision of the Election Commission. He alleged that the EC move would eliminate voters who were living in Bihar for long and the voters were facing unnecessary harassment in the process.

Meanwhile, some protestors burnt tyres on the roads in Rajapur area during demonstration.

According to a report from Jehanabad, widespread demonstrations were seen during the Chhaka Jam. Youth workers from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) took to the streets early in the morning. At the Jehanabad Court Railway Station, they squatted at the railway track in protest.

Following demonstrations on the road, a long queue of heavy vehicles was seen on Gandhi Setu.

According to a report from Vaishali district, the protestors demonstrated along with their cattle. Some of the protestors were seen lying on the road.

A report from Forbesganj stated that the impact of the bandh was evident from early morning in Forbesganj of Araria district. Protesters tried to disrupt movement of local passenger trains and shouted slogans against the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) detained the protesters.

Leaders from constituent parties of the Grand Alliance, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, will be taking out a protest march from Income Tax Golambar to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.

The GA insists that the required 11 documents for SIR were not readily available to poor citizens, which could result in millions of names being removed from the voter list.

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