News Desk: The nation-wide bandh against petrol price hike disrupted the normal life across the country on Thursday. Offices and business establishments remained closed and vehicles were off the road.


The political parties supporting the protest stalled the traffic and public transport services by holding dharnas on the tracks.


Violence was reported in Karnataka as three state-run Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) busses were burnt and 11 others were damaged in the morning when the protest began. Following the incident, the bus operations were suspended till evening.


Pune witnessed similar incident as 13 buses were burnt at various places in the city. Busses were also attacked in Satara. Similarly, 26 buses were damaged by the protesters in Mumbai.


The protesters and political parties like NDA were seen holding meetings to make the strike successful against the UPA government. The women's wing of the JD-U protested the fuel price hike by holding a dharna in Patna.


According to reports, JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav has been detained in Saharsa, Bihar for leading a protest march. The JD (U) have also begun a ‘rail roko’ campaign across Bihar, affecting at least four train services.


The Samajwadi Party workers also stalled the traffic on rail routes in Allahabad. At least two trains have been stopped on Delhi-Howrah route.


In Delhi the auto rickshaw unions have also joined the Bharat Bandh. At least 55,000 autos and 15,000 taxis are expected to stay off the road today.


In Bhubaneswar, the impact was felt in the morning when the protesters were blocking the roads connecting to the National Highway. They burnt tyres and effigies. Police were deployed to avoid unwanted situation in the city. Several CPM and BJD workers were arrested for blocking the roads.


Road blockades were also seen in Kolkata near the Howrah station. NDA blocked roads in some districts and the Howrah Bridge, which connects the metropolis to the Howrah district.

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