Sunena Devi, wife of the self-styled Maoist zonal commander Binay alias Nepal, was arrested on Monday, the second and final day of the 48-hour CPI (Maoist) shutdown in Jharkhand. Garwah Superintendent of Police Richard Lakra said she was arrested at Bhandaria. She was allegedly involved in two cases related to Maoist activity. Binay is already jail.
The bandh evoked a mixed response in Maoist-affected rural areas; in urban areas, transport and bus services were suspended for the second successive day, police said. Transportation of minerals was affected in several districts as truckers kept off the road.
The Maoists had called the bandh in Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh protesting the arrest of their cadre Sheetalji.
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Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industry member Prem Kataruka claimed Jharkand suffered a loss of around Rs. 500 crore in the bandh. “Both the State and Central governments should address the problem at the earliest,” he said.
President of Jharkhand Truck Owners Association, Uday Shankar Ojha said: “On an average, Jharkhand witnesses 40 bandhs every year, with each bandh causing a loss of Rs. 25 crore... We demand the government waive two months tax to give relief to the truckers.”