RJD’s Bihar bandh against citizenship law disrupts rail and road traffic
Thousands of Rashtriya Janata Dal supporters took to the streets across Bihar on Saturday, disrupting train and road traffic as they tried to enforce a statewide shutdown to protest against the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the new citizenship law.
Protests across the state
In Patna, hundreds of party supporters, some of them children, armed with sticks and waving party flags, forced their way into bus stands and railway stations until police chased them off. In Nawada, protesters burnt tyres on national highway 31 and held up vehicles, while in Muzaffarpur agitators protested at Zero Mile Chowk. There were also reports of protesters squatting on rail tracks in the districts of Araria and East Champaran.
Jitendra Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), said enough forces had been deployed in every district and officers had been told to act firmly against anyone trying to create trouble.
Background
The shutdown by the main opposition party came barely two days after the Left parties held their own statewide bandh. The RJD had first called it for December 22 but brought it forward by a day because police recruitment tests were scheduled for Sunday.
On Friday night, RJD workers, with Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition, at their head, held a torchlight march in Patna to drum up support, describing the bandh as an effort to protect the Constitution from the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. “It will be a peaceful protest. But if the state police indulges in any high-handedness, there would be a backlash,” Yadav had said.
See also: RJD
Originally published on 21 December 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.
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