Patna: A school bus with several children onboard had a narrow escape on Wednesday after a group of miscreants allegedly tried to set it ablaze in Bihar’s Gopalganj during the Bharat Bandh. The bus was saved due to the swift action by the Gopalganj police and district administration.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media showing a man burning a tyre right under the yellow bus as a mob armed with sticks surrounds the vehicle. Children were seen sitting inside the bus as it tried to pass through a road with several burning tyres scattered on it.
ये कैसा #भारत_बंद?
बिहार के गोपालगंज में सड़क पर जलते हुए ये टायर अगर बस को छू लेते, तो दृश्य भयावह हो सकता था!
इन मासूम बच्चों की जान को खतरे में डालने वाले कुछ भी हो सकते हैं, पर इंसान नहीं! 👇#BharatBand #Bihar pic.twitter.com/hPdeMOr4Nj
— Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) August 21, 2024
The Bharat Bandh was called by some groups on Wednesday across the country against a recent Supreme Court order on reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Bihar witnessed huge protests and violence with protesters blocking rail and road traffic in support of the bandh. To disperse the agitators, police used water cannons and also lathi-charged them.
Protesters disrupted train services at Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations and blocked traffic in Patna, Hajipur, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, Purnea, Katihar, Muzaffarpur and Begusarai districts. Patna police registered three FIRs and arrested 46 people for allegedly taking the law into their hands during the protests, according to a statement. Later, 35 of them were released, it said.
Protesters burned tyres and tried to block traffic in several districts such as Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Begusarai, Hajipur, Purnea and Katihar. In Jehanabad district, protesters clashed with security personnel on National Highway-83.
At Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations, a large number of protesters halted the Bihar Sampark Kranti and Farakka Express trains. In Katihar, protestors gheraoed the vehicle of District Magistrate Manesh Kumar Meena, when he reached office in the morning.
The Bharat Bandh was called by 21 organisations across the country against the Supreme Court’s August 1 ruling allowing states to sub-classify Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for granting quotas within these groups.