Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Mixed response to BJP bandh call

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD FEB. 11. The Statewide bandh call given by the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday in protest against what it termed as `jehadi' killings by activists of the DJS evoked a mixed response. The bandh was, by and large, peaceful barring stray incidents of throwing of stones on RTC buses.

In the State capital, too, the bandh response was partial. While shops and establishments and educational institutions remained closed in most parts of the city, life in old city was normal with almost all shops remaining open. Three BJP legislators and other party functionaries were taken into custody at different places when they tried to force closure of shops.

Interestingly, the Darsgah Jihad-O-Shahadat (DJS), too, called for a separate bandh on Tuesday to counter the BJP bandh call and protest against what it termed as a deliberate attempt to malign its name and other Muslim organisations. However, the DJS counter-bandh call did not evoke any response as almost all shops were open in the old city.

The cold-blooded killing of ten persons by a five-member group, reportedly owing allegiance to DJS, in different areas around the State capital spurred the BJP into action. Accusing the DJS of being a communal organisation, the BJP had demanded that the Government ban DJS under POTA and arrest its cadres and leaders. The gruesome killings, in which people waiting for buses were lured into cars on the promise of a free travel and their throats slashed, came to light after the Uppal police busted the gang.

According to reports reaching here, the bandh was near total in district headquarters and main towns of Karimngar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Guntur, Kurnool, Cuddapah and Anantapur districts. In Visakhapatnam, there was no response to the bandh called by the BJP.

In Nellore town, BJP activists burnt effigies of DJS president, Mehboob Ali, and Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, while in Nizamabad a potential clash between two groups of people was averted.

In Nirmal town of Adilabad, stone-pelting was reported on RTC buses.

In most of the districts, BJP cadres picketed bus stations and prevented buses from coming out, forcing the RTC to withdraw bus services till late in the afternoon. In Guntur normal life was affected as the town observed a total bandh.

In Srikakulam town, irate customers of a bank tried to organise a rasta roko when the bank did not open.

Meanwhile, the BJP has claimed that the bandh call evoked an `unprecedented' response all over the State, and alleged that its workers were attacked by Congress and left party workers in Nalgonda.

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