Stalin, along with cadres of the DMK and other parties, came in a procession in Tiruvarur and was detained in a marriage hall, police said, adding they will be let off later.
'What has taken the government so long to understand what the people of this country are going through?'
Bandh supporters burnt tyres and pelted stones at vehicles in different parts of the state following which the police took nearly 500 of them into preventive custody in Guwahati, Golokgunj and Agomoni in Dhubri, official sources said.
Even as the Opposition went hammer and tongs to enforce the nationwide strike call against the petrol price hike on Thursday, the common man seemed to be backing off from joining the protest.
In a bid to mount pressure on the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre to move a legislation for the formation of Telangana state during the current session of Parliament, pro-Telangana parties and organisations will observe a Telangana bandh on Wednesday.
Normal life was partially affected in West Bengal on Thursday following a state-wide 12-hour general strike called by Left Parties and trade unions, with the Bharatiya Janata Party also calling a 10-hour bandh to protest against alleged violence by ruling Trinamool Congress in the recent civic polls.
The bandh has been called by pro-Kannada and farmers' organisations, protesting the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal's interim order rejecting the state's petition seeking 7.56 tmcft for drinking water projects.
Two motor-bikes were torched, while some private cars were seized by crowds in Jalukbari near the Guwahati University, sources said.
As part of the protest, BJP workers burned tyres, blocked roads, and closed shops in Nandigram, alleging that Trinamool Congress-backed criminals were responsible for the killing of Rathibala Arhi, a saffron party worker in Sonachura village.
Alleging that the Andhra Pradesh government resorted to repressive measures to put down the Telangana agitation on Friday, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao has called for a bandh in the Telangana region on Saturday.
Normal life in Darjeeling Hills was paralysed for the second day today due to the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in support of their demand for a separate Gorkhaland.
The 24-hour bandh called by the Forward Bloc on Wednesday affected normal life in the state with rail and road transport disrupted even as police arrested 166 bandh supporters for putting up road blockades in many areas.
Normal life in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district was paralysed on Tuesday as the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha enforced a second spell of indefinite bandh in the area, to press for its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.Shops, markets, business establishments, banks and post offices were closed and vehicles remained off the roads after the bandh resumed from 6 pm on Monday after a five-day break.
Director general of police Swain commended the security forces for their efforts in monitoring potential threats from external elements particularly "proxies of Pakistan" who intended to disrupt the democratic process.
Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party also extended their support to the bandh call given by the Left parties.
Barring stray violence, the dawn-to-dusk bandh called in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh by student groups on Wednesday passed off peacefully.
After the non-cooperation agitation, pro-Telangana parties and groups would now observe a 48-hour bandh in the region from tomorrow to mount pressure on the Centre to introduce a bill in the Budget session of Parliament for formation of separate Telangana.
Railway sources said several trains, including Tata-Patna express, were detained due to squatting in Chakradharpur, Tatanagar, Galudih and Gamariah.
The shutdown generated tension in Mumbai and a number of towns and cities across Maharashtra.
A bandh is supposed to be in support of a cause. But does it actually serve that cause? One just cannot be too sure.
Scattered incidents of violence, including torching of buses and clashes, occurred and 1,600 people were arrested during the 12-hour bandh.
Thousands of farmers from around 100 villages of Noida and Greater Noida on Thursday took to the streets seeking hiked compensation, bringing traffic to a standstill in several parts of Delhi-NCR as they made an unsuccessful bid to march towards Parliament.
The second day of the bandh call for Friday on the Telangana issue stands withdrawn in view of Christmas, a joint action committee of Telangana leaders has announced.
A 12-hour Bengal bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party to protest the hike in power tariff turned violent on Monday with supporters setting afire buses and clashing with the police, which used batons to quell them.
Maoists have threatened to extend indefinitely their bandh call in seven states if their arrested leader Azad is not produced before a court on Monday, a top Naxal leader said on Saturday. "Our 48-hour bandh call from March 22 in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three districts of Maharashtra will be extended indefinitely if Azad is not produced before the court on Monday," said top Maoist leader Kishenji.
The bandh 'business' in Bengal is growing daily because it is the easiest way for the party to get free publicity without any capital investment.
Madhya Pradesh police said violence in Bhind and Morena districts was 'sponsored'.
The bandh called by YSR Congress on Friday to protest the unprecedented power cuts in Andhra Pradesh evoked lukewarm response as police cracked down on the party rank and file across the state.
Several organisations, including the All Assam Tai Ahom Students Union, the Hindu Yuva Chatra Parished and the All Assam Motok Yuva Chatra Sanmilani have opposed today's day-long bandh.\n
Rail and road blockade, demonstrations, and impromptu rallies by the Opposition marked the shutdown in the state affecting normal life to some extent.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad-sponsored bandh, in protest against the Ayodhya attack, in Maharashtra, Bihar and Assam\non Thursday failed to evoke much response, excepting stray incidents of violence.
The 12-hour Assam bandh was called by the youth wing of former chief minister Prafulla Mahanta's new party to protest against the recent ethnic violence in Karbi Anglong district.
Normal life was paralysed in Assam during a 12-hour-long state-wide bandh led by the Bajrang Dal and supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and several other organisations demanding action against the All India United Democratic Front and its leader Badaruddin Ajmal for alleged links with 'jihadi forces in Bangladesh'.
'The Dalits have always asserted themselves, but there has never been any gain for Dalits.' 'But now the most significant thing that has emerged, and which has got all the political parties in denial mode, is the assertion of smaller OBCs along with the Dalits.' 'I accept that the Dalits by themselves are not in a position to make a Mumbai bandh successful.' 'It was only because of the participation of the smaller OBCs that the bandh has become a success.'
Two buses, one of Haryana state Roadways and the other belonging to Punjab Roadways were partially damaged in Panckula on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
Mobile internet services have been banned in top towns of the state like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Mehasana. The restriction will continue till midnight on Monday.
The anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam has called for 12-hout Assam bandh on May 26 to protest the visit of the united Progressive Alliance chairman and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to Guwahati on that day.
Enraged community members took out rallies in towns and cities, blocking roads, damaging buses.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances