31st July, 2008 - Keonjhar in Orissa takes the brunt

Shibu Soren has done what he could not do even with his bribery allegations. In just one statement, many areas are responding with bandhs and here it is once again. Normal life in Orissa's mineral rich Keonjhar district was affected today in a bandh by ruling Biju Janata Dal to protest against JMM president Mr Sibu Soren's proposed division of Orissa for creation of a Greater Jharkhand.

31st July, 2008 - Jammu bandh continues

The week long bandh called by Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti, continues with protests and problems reported from all over.

30th July, 2008 - Jammu still simmers

The bandh length in Jammu seems to have gone beyond anyone's imagination. It is a week now and Jammu remains tense for the eighth day with protests continuing against the revocation of the Amaranth Yatra Land transfer deal. The protestors clashed with the police at parade area in the old Jammu city on Tuesday pelting stones. The police had to resort to tear gas shelling to control the crowds. Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti, later, extended the Jammu bandh call for three more days, till Sunday.

29th July 2008 - Imphal gets hit again

Now this is a call by All Tribal Physically Handicappeds' Association (ATPHA) for a total bandh in Chandel, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul districts from 6 pm of July 29 to 6 pm of July 30.The bandh is called as the Government failed to respond positively to the demands of the association. The association said that their demands include financial assistance, unemployment allowance, issuance of disabled certificates at district headquarters, travelling fare concession, instituting of State Channelising Agency (SCA).

28th July, 2008 - Now Church is in the hartal business

A day-long hartal in Changanassery town, called by the Catholic Church sponsored Minority Rights Protection Committee in protest against the attack on participants as total. What elsed do you expect bandhs in Kerala to do other than complete obedience. Shops and other commercial centres remained closed while vehicular service remained unaffected.The bandh and a rally was organised by the Archdiocese against the alleged attempt by the LDF government to propagate atheism through textbooks. The rally called for recall of the controversial Class VII Social Science textbook.

28th July, 2008 - Siliguri under bandh grip

Breakaway congress leaders had difficult time in finding alphabets to name their newly found Congress party. And many of them still struggles. Communists had different ideas. They did not make any alphabets but named the founders name in full. So tomorrow you can expect CPM(Somnath), CPM(Karat), CPM(Raja) etc. It is one of these breakaway factions that called for a Siliguri bandh. The CPI-Ml (Mahadeb Mukherjee faction) called a bandh to mark the death anniversary of Naxalite leader Charu Mazumdar. The bandh call by the Naxalite faction also had a major impact in North Dinajpur district.

28th July, 2008 - Jalpaiguri also observes a bandh

The town of Jalpaiguri observed a bandh today in protest against the non-functioning of the tea auction center in the town. The ‘Jalpaiguri Tea Auction Centre Bachao Committee’ had sponsored the bandh. The bandh in Jalpaiguri over the dormant tea auction centre however, evoked a total response. Business establishments, markets, office and educational institutions remained shut and passenger transport remained suspended.

28th July, 2008 - Imphal NH-39 to have a bandh

Even failure to release monthly quota of rice can lead to bandhs. Today Rationing Agent Association (RAA) of 42 Tengnoupal A/C will observe an indefinite bandh along NH-39 between Pallel and Moreh from 6 pm The agreement made between ADC Moreh and LDC (FCS) Chandel Th Leiran and RAA on July 23 at Pallel Police station was not changed into action is the reason for this bandh. For those who doesnt understand what all these are about, take note that NH-39 is in Imphal and being cut out of the country, very few will know what the bandh is all about.

27th July 2008 - Jamshedpur with hartal made of steel

Life in the steel city came to a standstill due to the 12-hour bandh, called by the district Congress. The bandh was in protest against the incidence of firing in front of the district president Ravindra Kumar Jha’s office on Friday. UPA allies, especially the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), also supported the bandh. Public property was vandalised at a number of places and shops downed shutters across the city for the better part of the day. Bandh supporters targeted those roadside vendors and shops that violated diktat and kept their shops open.

27th July 2008 - Soren sparked another hartal in Orissa

The Shibu Soren demand is gaining momentum in Orissa as far as protests are concerned. Today it is the turn of Jharsuguda district which observed hartal against his demand. Normal life was affected in view of the bandh as shops and business establishments downed their shutters.

26th July, 2008 - Jammu curfew and bandh goes hand in glove

If there is a bandh in Jammu, it has to go with a curfew and what if the bandh is as long as the present on on Amarnath land transfer? Well, the curfew also continues and ultimately the common man suffers.

No punishment can stop hartals

Pay Rs 10 lakh, call for a hartal and destroy property worth Rs crore and waste priceless man hours. This may turn to be true as Kerala law commission has suggested that organizations in Kerala calling for a hartal, or strike, without the government’s permission may have to pay a Rs10 lakh fine or its leaders would face up to three years in prison and they are advocating for shaping this into law. In 2007, Left-ruled Kerala saw more than 200 hartals, most of them political. So much so that leaders with following of only their family members are calling shots in hartal sphere.

24th July, 2008 - Hartal ordeal in Kerala continues

If there was a Nobel for hartals, it would have gone to CPI(M) since they have called yet another day long hartal in Thalassery assembly constituency limits and nearby Mahe enclave of Puducherry to protest the murder of a party activist. CPI(M) worker U K Saleem was stabbed to death, allegedly by activists of National Development Front, a Kerala-based Muslim outfit, at New Mahe area near Thalassery last night after a clash between the CPI(M) and NDF workers over pasting of party posters.

23rd July, 2008 - Hartal in poverty struck Baripada

There was a time when only the opposition parties called for bandhs. The ruling party never used to call for bandhs since they would be at the receiving end during the bandh. But now a days the oppositions are sidelined and ruling parties are destroying the properties for which they had vowed to protect. Take the case of tribal dominated Mayurbhanj in Orissa where the ruling BJD-BJP observed a 12 hour dawn to dusk bandh to against the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s recent demand to take three districts - Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh from Orissa - and merge it with a greater Jharkhand.

23rd July, 2008 - Yet another hartal in Kerala

A 12-hour hartal was called by the district unit of the BJP in Malampuzha constituency to protest against the death of one of their activists who was attacked allegedly by CPM workers.Altercations between CPM and the BJP activists arose last Sunday evening over the tying of flags by BJP activists. A BJP activist, Aruchami, 42, was attacked with weapons allegedly by CPM activists when he was returning to his house that night after attending the BJP Malampuzha mandalam convention. The sudden call for the hartal put the commuters in great hardship. Malampuzha is the constituency of Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.

23rd July, 2008 - Punjab & Haryana Bandh today

Godmen around the country are making a hell out of their godly activities. The Gurmat Siddhant Parcharak Sant Samaj & the Damdami Taksal has called for a bandh in Punjab & Haryana on July 23 demanding the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The demand is not new but the goverment is in a dilemma. Protesters are also demanding the sealing of Naam Charcha centres of Ram Rahim , besides initiating an inquiry against him. They stated that the Dera chief should be arrested allegedly for killing three Sikhs, two in Punjab & another in Maharashtra. Harman Singh Khalsa, head, Damdami Taksal, said, “It’s shameful on the part of the Centre & the state government to shield the Dera chief and fail to initiate an action against him”.The Sant Samaj appealed to people of Punjab & Haryana to observe bandh on July 23. Only the trains will be allowed to run. The Sant Samaj will organise the bhog ceremony of Harmandir Singh killed by Dera followers in Dabwali yesterday. The samaj will hold a meeting in Ludhiana on July 30 to plan further action.

22nd July, 2008 - Can Communists do anything other than bandh?

Bandh is now a national obsession and for the Left parties, it has become a national duty. They call bandhs even for petty matters. For instance if you are beaten by your neighbour because you peeped into his wife's room, they will observe a bandh in your locality- Trust them, they will do it. The today there was a bandh in Kaliyaganj town of North Dinajpur districtn in protest against the recent clashes in Kaliyaganj college. And this was supported even by the Congress

22nd July, 2008 - Now Maoists' turn to oppose Nuke Deal

After all the parties in India called strikes, protests and even came to bringing down the UPA government over the nuclear deal, it is the turn of Maoists. Jharkhand and its neighbouring states will have 24 hour bandh. Hopefully their counterparts in Nepal doesn't ink such a deal to make Nepal a nuclear nation.

21st July, 2008 - Bandh fever grips Gujarat

In what was seen a normal murder mystery is now taking an ugly turn snowballing into a major controversy. Gujarat is now under the grip of bandhs as organisations are calling at their will a bandh and the people voluntarily accepting it. This would have swallowed the government in any other state but here the Modi government is not even bothering to respond to this agitation and none of the ministers have even consoled the grieving family of the cousin duo who died in mysterious circumstances in the ashram of a sect run by Asaram Bapu. The rivalry between different sects are also the reason for the controversy to get bigger. Today an amalgamation of 15 social organisations led by Jagega Gujarat Sangharsh Samiti (JGSS) has called for a Gujarat Bandh to register their protest.The Gujarat unit of the Congress has also extended its support to the bandh. They will also protest against the state government for not responding to the demands of handing over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

21st July, 2008 - Bandh now graduates

Kerala's school text book row will not end so easily, it seems. A school headmaster, with no political affiliations, was hacked to death in Malappuram as he was attending a training course. Now this has become another reason for an education bandh in Kerala on Monday. Dont be under the impression that education bandh means closing educational institutions. It means the entire state shutdown. Well, yet another feather to Kerala's cap.

20th July, 2008 - Malappuram in Kerala on hartal mood

The ruling LDF is observing a 12- hour hartal in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts on Sunday in protest against the death of the school headmaster. The hartal will be from 6 am to 6 pm. As a sequel to this, there is another hartal on Monday. So make the most of now.

20th July, 2008 - Imphal Bandh continues

Abduction of three Muslim youths by police commandos from Loklaobung on July 12 and their brutal torture is the reason for a general strike in the Thoubal district beginning July 19, 6pm to July 21, 6pm. In a meeting at Lilong bazaar on the issue, a resolution had been drawn up demanding among other things the dismissal from service the involved police commandos.

19th July, 2008 - Telangana Bandh series continue

A bandh call by TRS against the Congress-led UPA government’s betrayal on Telangana is to take effect on 19th. TRS is seeking BJP support to its call which the right wing party has not yet decided.

19th July, 2008 - Telengana starts bandh series

Whether Congress has betrayed the people of Telangana is a matter that only people in this particular regions knows. But it it taken granted by TRS who have given a call for Telangana bandh on July 19 as the culmination of its five-day protest programme to ‘expose’ the Congress for betraying the people of Telangana after promising them a separate State. Party president K Chandrasekhar Rao announced with great pride that the party cadre would organise prayers in temples, churches and mosques on July 15, ‘rasta roko’ in Assembly constituencies on July 16, demonstrations before the houses of Congress MPs in the region on July 17 and boycott of colleges on July 18. So get ready........

18th July, 2008 - Ahmedabad bandh - for a change

Religious cult leaders in Kerala are on the run and here is a case in Ahmedabad where two students dies under mysterious circumstances. Very strangely there is a bandh in Ahmedabad on Friday against the lukewarm investigation process - as alleged by the parents of the boys - and the support is extended even by the Congress party - a rank outsider in Gujarat. Well, it is always to join the entire country in bandh spree or else the city will miss its Metro status. Unfortunately the schools have already declared a holiday and the ferry vans have made their support to the bandh.

17th July, 2008 - Kerala's obedience is the key to Hartal

A hartal was observed in Kasagod district in Kerala (yes Kerala again) following a call by the Fishermen Protection Council in protest against the absence of facilities here to rescue fishermen who meet with accidents at sea. The hartal affected fishing activities in the district. Shops also remained closed in some areas.

16th July, 2008- Bandh time in Jammu again

A shutdown was observed in Jammu again on Wednesday after the same Hindu groups, demanding that a controversial plot in the Kashmir valley be handed over to a temple trust, rejected Governor N N Vohra's call for a dialogue on the issue. An indefinite shutdown to protest the government move cancelling the land transfer to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) was suspended last week. Expect more bandhs from Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (AYSS) as they now start venturing out with no other work than calling Bandhs.

16th July, 2008: Bandh against Bandh - Keralites join the protest

This is a protest with a difference. This was reported by The Hindu. Frustrated over frequent hartals disrupting normal life, people here are coming together to form a Citizens’ Forum against hartals. A meeting of the forum held here decided to begin its protests with a satyagraha in front of the Quit India Memorial at Zero Junction in Mullackal here on June 16 from 3 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. In a statement, forum convener and former principal of Ernakulam Maharaja’s College Abraham Arakal said hartals sponsored by various political outfits were violating the fundamental rights guaranteed to every citizen by the Indian Constitution. Though they are called hartals, these protest forms are nothing but ‘bandhs’, which have been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. The actual purpose for which hartals were called for was being defeated by the fact that these hartals literally brought life to a standstill, often failing to convey or reflect public sentiments.
More than often, hartals are called for without adequate notice, resulting in untold inconvenience to the public, Mr. Arakal said.The forum, which has educationist Kalleli Raghavan Pillai as its chairman comprises mostly senior citizens from various walks of life, including M.N.V. Nair, R. Jithendra Varma, G.P. Nair, K.P.Unnikrishnan Nair, C.K. Arumukhan, C.B. Shantappan, A. Sainulabdil, G.Viswanathan, Joseph Kottaparampan, M. Haridas, M.R.B. Menon, K.V.Ramesan and A.K. Kochukunju as members.

16th July, 2008 - Bandh ordeal in Jammu continues

Even nondescript organisations can now take state to ransom. The government may have fallen over its descition to revoke transfer of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, but the bandh call continues. Now it is on July 16.

11th July 2008 - Nagaland bears the brunt

A bandh called by a local tribal students union protesting against the continuing killings among different factions of Naga rebel group, the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), brought life to a grinding halt today at Dimapur in Nagaland.The Sumi Students’ Union called for a 12-hour bandh in Dimapur district demanding immediate halt to feud between the NSCN factions that have so far claimed lives of about 50 persons, including rebels and civilians in and around Dimapur. The students union castigated the Naga rebel groups for violating human rights and criticised the state government for failing to protect lives of citizens in the face of belligerence shown by the rebels groups. The students’ union in a statement said the recent chain of killings among the rebel groups has become a great threat to the people living in and around Dimapur and demanded action on part of the administration to restore normalcy in the area by containing the rebels brandishing weapons.All the offices, business establishments, financial institutions, educational institutions remained closed during the bandh period.There was no vehicular traffic on the road and the usually busy Dimapur-Kohima Road wore a deserted look throughout the day.Rival Naga rebel groups - the NSCN (IM), NSCN (K) and NSCN (Unification) - have been fighting among themselves for supremacy and the clashes have taken a heavy toll on all sides. It all started with a faction of the NSCN (IM) breaking away from the group to form NSCN (Unification) early this year. The rival NSCK (K) extended prompt support to the NSCN (Unification) much to the chagrin of the NSCN (IM).Both NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (K) are in truce with the government forces but that doesn’t deter the rebel groups from attacking each other’s camps and hideouts in an around Dimapur in Nagaland and elsewhere in the state.(Reported by The Tribune)

10th July 2008 - Bandh time in Jharkhand

The BJP-led NDA has called for Jharkhand bandh tomorrow in protest of the killing of former minister and JD(U) MLA Ramesh Singh Munda near Bundu today.Ramesh Singh Munda, two of his bodyguards and a student were killed by suspected Naxalites. Now how the Bandh will help nabbing the culprits can only be answered by the culprits of this bandh.

10th July, 2008 - Hartal is here again

Come and hit me. This message is writ large in the tiny state of Kerala as it observes yet another hartal on 10th July, 2008. The Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi has asked even medical shops to down shutters and they are doing this just to get numbers for their state meeting. When the entire country has abandoned protests against allowing retails, here is an organisation that is reviving it. People buy essentials ahead of hartal-- naturally sales boom a day before hartal. Again vested interests??
There is a slight welcome change here. There is a synchronised hartal as one association - Kerala Vyapari Samithi- is holding a Trivandrum only hartal with an assembly march, the other one is spreading across the state.

9th July, 2008 - Bandh in Kandhamal

The Viswa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal have called a bandh in Kandhamal district on Wednesday following an attack on an inmate of an ashram and a Baba at Jalespata under Tumudibandha Police station limits of the district on Tuesday. Reports said some people reportedly assaulted Bula Baba of Jalespatta ashram, run by Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, in village Malipada with weapons when the Baba protested slaughtering of cows.Immediately the news spread and the inmates of the ashram along with VHP activists blocked the main road. Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, who was present in the ashram, started a dharna in front of the Tumudibandha police station demanding arrest of the accused persons. Security has been tightened in all the churches.(This was reported by Express News Service)

9th July 2008 - Trinamul exists to call for bandhs

The Trinamul Congress, the party with the sole agenda of disruption, called a 24-hour bandh at Natabari in Tufanganj as a mark of protest against the atrocities by the CPI-M and the police jointly on Trinamul Congress supporters.(What else) A clash between CPI-M and Trinamul Congress supporters , at Natabari on Saturday night injured five. Abdar Ali and his minor son were arrested and sent to the court yesterday in connection with the incident. Abdar Ali is an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police engaged at Falakata police station in Jalpaiguri district. He visited his village at Natabari when he was on leave. CPI-M sources alleged that Ali he took sides of the Trinamul Congress though party sources denied the allegation.
Vice-president of the district Trinamul Congress, Mr Niranjan Dutta said, the CPI-M unleashed a reign of terror in several areas in Tufanganj sub-division. Condemning the violence that took place on Saturday Mr Dutta said, “Tomorrow we will observe a 24-hour bandh at Natabari to stage protest against the terror tactics of the CPI-M and police”.(Statesman Reported this article)

Hartal boosts liquor sales

Well, if hartals are well planned move orchestrated by the liquor companies by bribing the organisations calling for it is not clear. But the fact that people queue up before hartal is a testimony to the problems that Kerala will witness in future. Read The Hindu report here

Guess what? Keralites drink more on the evening before every hartal. Liquor bars do roaring business and the Beverages Corporation outlets have longer lines in front of them on the hartal eve, if the experience and the statistics of the Hartal Virudha Munnani are anything to go by.

The munnani activists have also noticed that there is a substantial rise in drinking at home on the hartal day, says Francis Perumana, secretary of the munnani. This shows, according to him, three things: one, people take it for granted that the hartal day is a day to stay at home; two, people think that they are helpless to prevent the hartal, though they feel outraged by it; and three, they have accepted hartal as a way of life.

Apart from the inconveniences and pain (even injuries and deaths) it causes to millions of people, a State-level dawn-to-dusk hartal causes a loss of Rs.4,000 crore to Kerala, the munnai has estimated.

This includes losses to the government, public sector bodies such as the KSRTC, industries, businesses, shops, offices and individuals. If the woes caused to millions of people are monetised and put a price to, the loss could run into several billions of rupees.

In 2006, there were 168 hartals in Kerala - local ones, town-specific, district-level and State-level included. This was in spite of the specific orders by the High Court against holding bandhs and asking the government to ensure that the public is not inconvenienced. So far this year, Kannur district alone witnessed nearly ten hartals, in various towns.

The munnani wants the Kerala society, especially the political parties, to find an alternative, non-intrusive means of expressing protest and disagreement in a democratic way. It believes hartal is a barbaric form of protest that hurts people’s fundamental human rights and causes pain, injuries and violence.

To gather support for getting hartal banished, the munnani is holding debates, seminars and other forms of public awareness programmes in each district. It has so far organised debates in Kozhikode, Idukki and Kannur. On February 15, a photo exhibition that depicts the sufferings of the ordinary people on hartal days will be put on show near Subhash Park in Kochi.

The munnani urged the UDF to abandon its February 19 State-level hartal. Schoolchildren will be asked to send postcards to UDF leaders pleading for dropping the agitation.

8th July 2008 - Imphal has the bandh fever

Stray violent incident of burning effigies of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and confrontation between the strike supporters and the police forcing the latter to fire tear gas canisters were witnessed on the second day of the State-wide 48-hour general strike being called by the JAC Against the Extra Judicial Killing of Langpoklakpam Bimolchandra alias Angouba of Haobam Marak Ngangom Leikai to register protest.(The Sangai Express reported this article)

7th July, 2008 - Tirupur weaves a bandh for itself

The Pattali Makkal Katchi had called a bandh on Monday with a charter of demands, including putting an end to dyeing units polluting the Noyyal river. PMK had sought support from all parties, traders associations, hosiery units, exporters association, schools, colleges, shops and others. However, the main parties like DMK, AIADMK, Congress and Communist parties did not relent.Outfits like Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Tamilazhaga Vivasayigal Sangam and Manitha Neeti Paasarai joined in the bandh.Normal life was not affected as all establishments, including schools and colleges functioned as usual. Strong police pickets were posted in and around Tirupur.

Come and observer hartal here

Come and observer hartal here. This seems to be the message that Kerala is giving instead of come and set up your business here. Read the PTI report below to know why and how Kerala is now a Manchester of hartals.

Kerala has earned the dubious distinction of being the only state in the country where shutdown calls by any political party will be a sure success.


Staging over a 100 hartals annually in recent times, causing loss of hundreds of crores of rupees to the state exchequer, Kerala has earned the dubious distinction of being the only state in the country where shutdown calls by any political party will be a sure success.

That the BJP, a less-dominant political force in the state, has called the most number of hartals in recent past - 31 of a total 57 this year alone -gives a clear indication of the fact that the protests in this parts do not necessarily require mass support.

The people of the 'most-literate' state are so scared of hartal-related violence that they mostly remain indoors, indirectly helping the cause of the hartal observers.

The real beneficiaries, if any, are the state-run shops, where liquor is sold at nominal rates compared to licensed bars, and the mutton stalls which in particular witness roaring business on pre-hartal days.

Ironically, it is the Kerala High Court which banned bandhs for the first time in the country in 1997, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court also.

But after the court refused to stay hartals in 2004, the political parties are enforcing virtually bandhs in the name of hartals as normal life is always thrown out of gear during every such occasion.

A handful of NGOs have recently come forward to create public awareness on the ill-effects of observing hartals but they are also handicapped by the fact that the affected do not get any compensation in case of damage to property or life.

"We are doing everything to create awareness, but there is little legal remedy in case of damage to property or life so the public do not dare to venture out on a protest day', says Haridas, President of 'The Proper Channel', an NGO.

Registered under the Charitable Act in 2005, the NGO has been fighting for the cause relentlessly, moving a series of petitions against hartals that do not conform to the court directive.

Upholding the fundamental right to organise hartals, the high court in 2004 had, however, asked government to strictly adhere to a nine-point directive that include ensuring normal life and transport, protection to properties and lives and compensation from hartal organisers in case of damage.

Though most of the hartals have resulted in serious damage and in some case even loss of lives, the affected parties had not approached the court for compensation fearing 'backlash' from the organisers.

"Since Court directives alone do not help the cause, we are approaching various quarters including the media to put an end to this form of protests," K Chandrababu, General Secretary of the Anti-Hartal Front, a state-wide association based in Kannur, said.

"When Saddam Hussain was sentenced to death, there was a hartal in the state and opposing the US President's visit to India, the CPI (ML) has staged a near-total hartal here," he said.

A total of 223 hartals were observed in 2006, resulting in a revenue loss of over Rs 2000 crore, he added. The state-owned transport always happens to be the first target for the agitators as that keeps the public movement in total check, Haridas said.

"While the KSRTC suffered about Rs 10 crore loss in 2006, it was 8.75 crore last year," he said.

During a day-long hartal called to protest a murder during the Chavakkad municipal chairman polls in 2006, public property to the tune of Rs 1.10 crore was destroyed in Thrissur, he said.

The NGOs have adopted a novel method to ease the public pressure by sending SMS messages to hartal organisers. "We call upon prominent personalities to send messages so that the public confidence is lifted," Chandrababu said adding they were also in touch with several humanist movements and Gandhian organisations to take up the cause more effectively.

"Dr Vasudevan, who was seriously injured in stone-pelting during a hartal here five years ago is still under treatment," T K A Aziz of the Anti-Hartal Front said. Vyapari Vyavasayi Associations, representing traders across the sate, who were vehemently opposing hartals earlier had also fallen in line with political parties in giving hartal calls seeking redressal to their problems, he said.

Kozhikode-based Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, the leading traders body in the state, had given a shutdown call next week to protest the 'growing influence' of MNC's.

Though state-wide hartals are relatively less in number, local-level hartals have become the order of the day with a least one hartal called on an average in a panchayat in a week.

5th July 2008 : Kodungallur does an Ekta Kapoor in Hartals

Ever heard of parties waiting in queue to call hartal? Yes it is now serialised and it is very true in Kerala where in a place called Kodungallur, life came to a standstill during the last three days with hartals, violence and attacks on shops, vehicles, residential houses, media persons and pedestrians reports the New Indian Express. The violence and stone throwing at shops and vehicles forced shops, markets and other establishments in the town to down their shutters and private buses and autorickshaws to discontinue their services abruptly.A dawn-to-dusk hartal was called on Thursday by the LDF to mourn the death of the DYFI activist. The hartal supporters attacked parked vehicles and closed shops, threw stones at pedestrians and smashed cameras and threatened media persons. The hartal supporters smashed the statue of Sree Narayana Guru in the Sreekumara Samajam at the West Nada.Since Wednesday afternoon, over 40 houses were attacked, and more than a dozen shops and vehicles had been damaged. Top police officers and over 500 police personnel are camping in the area. Though the police have registered 40 cases, no one was arrested so far.A hartal was called on Thursday by the SNDP Yogam and the Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi to protest against the smashing of the statue of Sree Narayana Guru and the attacks on shops.The private bus operators struck work in Kodungallur-Thrissur, Ernakulam- Kodunallur-Guruvayur routes on Thursday to protest against attacks on vehicles. The town also witnessed protest demonstrations one after another organised by the SNDP Union, Merchants’ Association and the Press Club.

How can perpetrators rein in themselves?

The SC has criticized the state governments of not doing enough to prevent bandhs. How can they do it since they themselves are the perpetrators of these bandhs.

Perhaps the only way Supreme Court or any other court can do is to legally black list the parties or organizations that calls for a bandh and whenever a hearing that pertains to them appears, they get a negative marking which can go against them in the final hearing.

Read the Times of India report here.

The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed state governments for going into an election-year stupor and failing to rescue lakhs of people held hostage by influential groups which frequently block road and rail traffic through violent displays of muscle power.

Venting the commoners' grievance against inaction in dealing with law and order situations, the court said the governments' oft-repeated statements of "stern action" against those who break the law was a mere tool to "fool the people of this country".

‘‘The entire country is going to be ruined,’’ a bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and G S Singhvi said, while continuing its sniping at the governments’ unexplained reluctance to act sternly against those who disrupt normal life.

It said the governments were holding back in the fear of antagonizing potential votebanks in an election year even if these groups breached law and order, putting lakhs of common people to inconvenience. And when the courts step in to give people relief, the executive cries "judicial overreach", the judges said.

What started as a critical comment on a local issue — frequent blockades of National Highway 31A, the sole link between Sikkim and the rest of India, by pro- and anti-Gorkhaland agitationists — soon developed into a torrent of criticism from the apex court.

While directing the governments of West Bengal and Sikkim, the Centre and the Gorkhaland agitationists to keep NH-31A open to traffic round the year, the court counted the incidents — regional jingoism in Maharashtra, uprooting of rail tracks and blockade of highways during the Gujjar agitation, blockade of NH-31A and the recent Hyderabad bandh — and said governments have not acted sternly against those who throw normal life out of gear.

Those who were required to act in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution were parties to all these disruptions, the court said, adding: ‘‘Rajasthan faced the music for 45 days. Those who have muscle power can hold everyone to ransom. Whether lakhs of commoners suffer is of least concern to the authorities. It takes just 15 students in a university to bring the entire institution to a stand still. During the Hyderabad bandh, seven persons lost their lives because all supplies, including food and medicines, were hit,’’ it said.

3rd July, 2008 : Hail Gujarat for you have shown how bandh can be tackled

As the entire nation will be held to ransom by nondescript organisations in the name of bandh, Gujarat will show how it can stay away.
The ruling BJP in Gujarat said on Wednesday that it will not join the nationwide bandh call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on July 3. The bandh has been called to protest against the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board land transfer issue in Jammu and Kashmir. "The decision of not joining the bandh was taken by the party, keeping in mind the efforts put in by the organisers and devotees of Rath Yatra, to be taken out in more than 150 places across the state on July 4," state BJP president, according to news reports.

3rd July, 2008 : Its Bihar and Jharkand's turn for Bandh

The Communist Party of India (Maoists) has called for a 24-hour long bandh across Bihar and Jharkhand. The bandh comes into effect from midnight of July 2 (very punctual about timings) and will continue to remain in force till midnight tomorrow(this can be prolonged). East Central Railway and South Eastern Railway authorities have cancelled more than eight pair of trains and have diverted the running routes of sever along distance trains passing through the two states, in view of the bandh, reports Statesman

3rd July, 2008 : After Kashmir it is all India bandh

It is the turn of an All India bandh after a Kashmir Bandh against the withdrawal of land given to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have called for a bandh on and very interestingly from July 3. Kashmir ki batein kasmir mein ya to Dilli mein. Why disturb the entire country who doesnt even know the organisation calling for the bandh. Yes, some places like Kerala will certainly enjoy this call.

1st July, 2008 :Goa's Quepem to have a bandh

Why should this small hamlet be left behind? All Goa Temple Safeguard Committee (AGTSC) has called for a Quepem bandh on Tuesday protesting desecration of idols in the temples and the government's failure to nab the culprits.