Violence broke out during the dawn-to-dusk state-wide bandh called on Friday by opposition parties in Bihar protesting against the killing of three students in an alleged encounter in Patna, paralysing normal life.
The bandh was called to press for the arrest of the policemen involved in the encounter, registration of a case under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC against them and providing compensation of Rs one million (Rs 10 lakh) to each of the bereaved families.
Police said the crew members of Star News were attacked by a mob at Ashiana Nagar in Patna where they had gone to cover the bandh. Their vehicle was partially damaged as a mob attacked them with stones and lathis.
The crew, led by correspondent Monuwant Singh Chowdhury, escaped unhurt.
The bandh paralysed normal life with shops and business establishments downing their shutters and vehicles going off the roads. Bandh supporters burnt tyres of many vehicles in several parts of the state capital, police said.
A few state-run buses left Patna for select destinations with heavy police escort. The Railways had cancelled several trains to and from Bihar and also those passing through the state.
Schools and colleges too were closed and attendance in state and central government offices was reported to be thin. Most of the banks did not function.
According to reports, the bandh was total in several towns, including Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Purnea, Katihar, Begusarai and Chapra.
NDA constituents led by senior leaders, including former Union minister Dr C P Thakur, state BJP president Nand Kishore Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly S K Modi, Samata Party MLA Satish Prasad, took out processions shouting anti-government slogans to enforce the bandh in defiance of prohibitory orders clamped under Section 144 of the CrPC promulgated by the district administration.
Activists of the CPI, CPI-ML(L), Indian Federal Democratic Party and Lok Janshakti Party also helped in enforcing the bandh.
More than 25 Samata Party activists, including Satish Kumar, Rajya Sabha member Lalan Singh and spokesman Anil Pathak, were taken into custody for leading a procession defying prohibitory orders.
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