Bhopal, July 5 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh saw a near total shutdown Monday as part of a daylong strike called by opposition parties against the hike in fuel prices. Protesters clashed with the police at several places and over 200 of them were arrested.
The strike hit normal life in capital Bhopal, Jabalpur and Gwalior cities. At a few places in Jabalpur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers clashed with the police as they tried to enforce the strike on a few educational institutions.
Officials at the police headquarters here said that at least 210 protesters, mostly BJP activists, were arrested in the state for clashing with police and forcibly enforcing the strike.
There were reports of stray incidents of violence in the Malwa region.
The shutdown was complete in Indore, the state’s largest commercial hub. Shops and commercial establishments were shut and government offices wore a deserted look.
Reports reaching here said that the shutdown paralysed life in rural areas and protesters squatted on railway tracks in the Jabalpur-Itarsi section.
