29th September, 2008 - Bandh by lawmakers themselves

What do you do when law makers themselves become law breakers? Yes, they have democracy to cover their failures and right to protest to cover their inaction. The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has called for a statewide bandh on September 29 to protest the burning of the Chief Minister's effigy by the 'so-called' Shiv Sena activists in Siliguri over his alleged dual nationality. Now, the state has the power to arrest them, why the hell they are making a mockery of staging a bandh?

25th September, 2008 : Dow Chemicals face bandh scare

It was just waiting to happen. Dow Chemicals R&D centre near Pune is up for a major showdown from the people - mainly members of the Warkari community, the followers of saint Tukaram and saint Dnayneshwar - in and around the towns of Alandi and Dehu, 30 kilometres north of Pune. Since Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar has supported the project, it was but natural that political parties like Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined the fray in supporting a bandh. The protestors claim that the company's operations would lead to severe enviromental crisis and pollution within the Dehu-Alandi belt known for its religious importance.

22nd September, 2008 - Jammu bandh hits indefinite blocks

Jammu made history as it observed the longest bandh ever in the world which lasted for weeks. Now the bandh season seems to have begun again as SAYSS - Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti - sponsored bandh entered second day and disrupted life in Jammu. The official reason is to protest against the police firing on its members but the real reason is not given. Business and trade establishments remained closed and traffic was off the road.

21st September, 2008 - Jammu at its bandh best again

SAYSS - yes, this is the short form for Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti, a font fighting for land at Amarnath for the pilgrims. But more than that they are now the biggest bandh callers as yet another bandh called by SAYSS makes it headway in Jammu today.

18th September, 2008 - Manipur is becoming bandh capital

Bandhs or hartals are shifting from its headquarters in South India to North-East. In yet another bandh, The Committee on Land and Natural Resources (COLNAR) has called for a 12-hour Manipur ‘Chakka Bandh’ on September 18 next from 6 am to 6 pm, for persistence disregard to the call for total scarping of the Tipaimukh Hydroelectric (Multipurpose) Project and Review of the Mapithel Dam (Thoubal Multipurpose) Project by the government.

16th September, 2008 : Bandh now turns Saffron

After a Christian sponsored bandh, it was the turn of saffron. Educational institutions and shops remained closed and roads were deserted in Karnataka's coastal city of Mangalore as Sri Rama Sena, a Hindu group called for a shutdown to protest the stabbing of one of its activists.

15th September, 2008 : Christian Bandh in Mangalore

The bandh had very little response but the agony was clear. The Christians were attacked for reasons that saffron forces say is grave and so in retaliation they claimed to have attacked the Churches. The attack by right-wing Hindu groups was to protest alleged conversion activities by Christians and distribution of literature insulting Hindu gods, specifically by a sect called the New Life Fellowship. The sect leaders have refuted the charges.

When hartal is the only option

By PARSHURAM BAHINI, Orissa
Nobody desire to go on hartal, unless the situation compels to to do so.Before going to said topic, i need to say something.Why the people seems "hartal" to be an untouchable matter,whereas some judicial and administrative functionaries termed this to be a thing of unlawful,unethical etc.But it was happened to be the weapon of Mahatma Gandhi and their disciples during pre-independance era. Following it we have owned freedom with the help of this weapon. In present day everywhere people are suffering and government and political bodies are busy in making their vote-bank.Nobody is ready to hear the suffering and grievance of public.In such a situation it is the only option that peole do follow.In western Orissa, people of this region have been exploited by coastal belt region in all the times.At this present day,state governmentt have cheated the people of Kalahandi district on the issue of establishment of Central University,the people of this region in i.i.t.,high court bench etc.Entire governmental machineries, judicial,constitutional and media centre have been confined with in coastal belt.The political leaders from Capital and Cuttack have threatened the representativs from western orissa to shut their mouth mourn in assembly whenever a problem of this region needs to be raised its head.Further there is a well organised plan from coastal belt people to put into end the raising voice of W.O.,its social recognition,culture, language,rites and rituals etc.In future all pradhan,bhoi,dip,sahu, mallick,munda etc surname holder people will follow to mohanty, pattanaik and other imported from Ctc and BBSR in the name of Odisha.So coastal people do not opt for hartal because high court of orissa is there.They can do everything by sitting there.As the Cuttack Lawyers have caused lathicharge, merciless beating by police upon south and west orissa lawyer by making a writ petition before their Cuttack High Court.As we have nothing "hartal" is the only option for the people of western Orissa.

9th September, 2008 - Purvanchal Bandh

There are some organisations in India whose primary duty is to see how the country crawls. Vishwa Hindu Parishad is one among the many. The latest salvo from VHP is a complete shutdown in Eastern Uttar Pradesh over the attack on BJP MP Yogi Adityanath. Yogi Adityanath's cavalcade was attacked by angry mob (jaisi karni vaisi bharni) while he was on his way to address an anti-terrorism rally in Azamgarh district.The VHP has called for a "Purvanchal Bandh" to oppose against "Islamic terrorism".

8th September, 2008 - Valley of bandhs

Kashmir has become a valley of bandhs. The place from where the phrase 'an apple a day keeps doctor away' was coined has now become 'One bandh a day keep people away'.
After a marathon bandh, here comes another jolt. A bandh is called today by separatists in protest against Election Commission's move to decide the date for Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Now this is something that calls for no protests. Some seperatist leaders should now be given the post of Election Commissioner so that they decide the dates according to their toilet convenience. As usual shops and other business establishments, educational and semi-government institutions remained closed, while attendance in government offices was thin. All modes of transport were off the roads in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley and work in banks and courts was affected.

3rd September, 2008 - Bandhs seems to be shifting more to northeast

After pioneering hartals, Kerala seems to have passed on the baton to north east where every day there is a bandh on trivial issues. Today taking strong exception to the forcible demolition of all shops, houses and other structures located at Tampha Bazar, Canchipur and Leishang Hiden by the Government on August 20, the Joint Action Committee (again a copy of Kerala hit and run unions) against Reconstruction of Leishang Hiden, Kyamgei a 24 hour bandh is observed along National Highway-39 with effect from midnight of September 3. 

Costliest bandh

The Jammu & Kashmir shutdown will go down as the costliest shutdown in the history of India. Times of India quotes regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) that the cumulative losses of the shutdown is as large as Rs 10,000 crore during the two-month long agitation.

It further says that  the CCI, Jammu, has submitted a detailed proposal to S S Bloeria, advisor, J&K governor, for compensation. Bloeria, who had assured the Sangharsh Samiti of looking into the losses, has formed a working group headed by chief secretary S S Kapoor for the purpose, which will also have presidents of different organizations — from tourism, trade and industry. During the two months of the bandh, tourism, trade, industry, agriculture, transport and retail sectors suffered cumulative losses of Rs 9,988 crore, which has knocked the wind out of the region’s economy. Providing the break up, CCI said that while industry took the brunt of the losses totalling Rs 3,850 crore, sectors like hotels, cinemas and restaurants accounted for Rs 2,850 crore. Trading was down by Rs 1,050 crore, agriculture by Rs 930 crore, and the automobile sector was set back by Rs 600 crore. 

Now the question again comes to the fore of who gains from these bandhs? When the entire economy ends up in mess and the entire population is affected, why call for a bandh at all?

1st September, 2008 Ghatshila closes down

A 24-hour bandh called by the CPM to mark its protest against police atrocities in Burudih paralysed Ghatshila. As happens in all bandhs, everything to anything was closed and one more day lost for some areas of progress.