Trains stopped as shutdown begins in Bihar

Several trains were halted in Bihar as the Left parties and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) began a nationwide shutdown to protest fuel price hike in the state, authorities said.

The supporters and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Janata Dal (United) and the Left parties stopped over a dozen long route trains at Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur railway stations.

"Several trains were halted to enforce shutdown," a police officer said.

Roads were blocked at various places across the state. Also, Patna schools were closed.

"The state administration have made elaborate security arrangements in view of the shutdown," said a senior government official.

In Bihar, shutdown is likely to be total as BJP and JD-U are the ruling parties and the Left parties have strong support base in half-a-dozen districts.

The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janshakti Party have not joined the shutdown, instead they have called for a separate shutdown July 10.

Last week, the central government ended government curbs on petroleum pricing and hiked the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas.

The price of diesel went up by Rs 2 a litre, kerosene by Rs 3 a litre, petrol by Rs 3.50 a litre, and cooking gas by Rs 35 per cylinder.