Bharat Bandh: Strike supporters vandalise SBI branch in Thiruvananthapuram
09 Jan 2019
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Supporters of striking workers today attacked and vandalised a treasury branch of the State Bank of India in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram and blocked trains in various parts of the state as the 48-hour trade union strike entered its second day.
Sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal and Kerala and rail blockades in certain states were witnessed on the second day of Bharat Bandh, which also saw a partial disruption of banking and insurance services across the country. Other sectors like mining, road transport, power supply too were hit by the strike called by 10 major central trade unions (except RSS affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh), to protest against the government's alleged anti-labour policies and unilateral labour reforms turned violent.
In Bengaluru, commuters had a harrowing time as bandh supporters blocked the road near Town Hall, while nearly 13 per cent of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses remained off roads.
Normal life was also disrupted in Goa and Odisha where public transport was affected and tyres were burnt on roads.
Lakhs of commuters in Mumbai continued to face hardships due to an indefinite strike called by the BEST, city's civic transport.
Banking and postal services continued to be affected in Gujarat on the second day of the two-day strike. Unions also staged protest marches and demonstrations in major cities. Workers in industrial units at Ankleshwar in Bharuch and those at ports also joined in the shut-down.
Barring interruption to banking services in some of the public sector banks, it was business as usual in Telangana. Employees belonging to the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and Bank Employees Federation of India participated in the strike affecting banking transactions partially across the state.
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