Bandh: Difference between revisions

[[File:Nepali Bandh Protesters.JPG|thumb|right|A bandh in Nepal. The protestors organized the bandh to protest against rise in fuel prices]]

'''Bandh''' ([[Devanagari]]: बंध) (literally: shutting down) is a form of protest used by political activists in [[South Asia]]n countries such as [[India]] and [[Nepal]]. It is similar to a [[general strike]]. During a bandh, a political party or a community declare a [[general strike]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Will Bharat Bandh shut Mumbai down on Thursday?|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/will-bharat-bandh-shut-mumbai-down-on-thursday-216790|access-date=30 May 2012|newspaper=NDTV|date=28 May 2012}}</ref> For example, a ''Bharat bandh'' is a call for a bandh across India, and a bandh can also be called for an individual state or municipality.

The community or political party declaring a bandh expects the general public to stay at home and not report for work. Shopkeepers are expected to keep their shops closed, and public transport operators of buses and cabs are expected to stay off the road and not carry passengers. There have been instances when large metropolitan cities have been brought to a standstill.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bengaluru to shut on Bharat Bandh|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/bengaluru-shut-bharat-bandh-946|access-date=30 May 2012|newspaper=Deccan Chronicle}}</ref> A bandh is a powerful means of [[civil disobedience]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Bharat Bandh on May 31 against UPA's petrol bomb|url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/bharat-bandh-on-may-31-against-upa-s-petrol-bomb.html|access-date=30 May 2012|newspaper=Yahoo News}}</ref>

The [[Supreme Court of India]] ruled against any sort of hooliganism in the name of 'bandh' in 1998,<ref name="Hindu1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070305115206/http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/17/stories/2005091709251200.htm  Pay damages first, court tells parties]; ''The Hindu'', Saturday, 17 September 2005</ref> but political parties still organize them. In 2004, the Supreme Court of India fined two political parties, [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) and [[Shiv Sena]], for organizing a bandh in [[Mumbai]] as a protest against bomb blasts in the city.<ref name="Hindu1"/> Supreme Court permits only voluntary closure of establishments during bandhs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/sc-upholds-kerala-hc-order-banning-bandhs-197111301009_1.html|title=Sc Upholds Kerala Hc Order Banning Bandhs|date=13 November 1997|via=Business Standard}}</ref>

Bandh was a common phenomenon by political parties in many states where they are in opposition.<ref>[http://indianexpress.com/article/india/west-bengal/congress-advances-12-hour-bengal-bandh-call-to-august-18/ Congress advances 12-hour Bengal bandh call to August 18]. The Indian Express (11 August 2015). Retrieved on 2017-06-19.</ref>  The [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) and 13 non-[[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]] parties called for a nationwide bandh on 5 July 2010, to protest a fuel price hike. This bandh prevented Indians from carrying out day-to-day tasks, especially in states that were ruled by the NDA and the Left.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bharat-bandh-affects-normal-life-across-the-country/642383/ Bharat bandh affects normal life across the country]. Indian Express (5 July 2010). Retrieved on 2017-06-19.</ref> In [[Nepal]], calls for bandhs have increased due to political instability.

On 20 September 2012, the BJP and otherparties called for a nationwide bandh in response to economic reforms undertaken by Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] and his finance minister [[P. Chidambaram|Palaniappan Chidambaram]]. Chief among their grievances were the cut in [[subsidy|subsidies]] for [[diesel fuel|diesel]] and cooking gas and the decision to allow [[Foreign direct investment|foreign investors]] to own majority stakes in the [[retail]] sector, including [[supermarket]]s and [[department store]]s.<ref name=mallet>{{cite news|last=Mallet|first=Victor|title=Indians Voice Anger at Reform Plans|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4138b80c-02cc-11e2-8cf8-00144feabdc0.html#axzz27P7cGgNI|access-date=24 September 2012|newspaper=Financial Times|date=20 September 2012}}</ref>

On 2018, [[Marathi Buddhists|Buddhists]], as well as some [[Hindu]] dalit and [[Sikh]] people were violently attacked by [[Hindutva]] ideological people at [[Koregaon Bhima]] in [[Pune district]], [[Maharashtra]]. But the Maharashtra government and the state police did not take any action against the culprits i.e. [[Sambhaji Bhide]] and [[Milind Ekbote]]. So on 3 January 2018, [[Prakash Ambedkar]] called on the people of Maharashtra to call "Maharashtra Bandh". This call to shut down Maharashtra received a huge response from the people and the bandh was a success. The bandh was seen across Maharashtra including [[Mumbai]]. More than 50% Maharashtrian people  supported or participated in the bandh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ndtv.in/maharashtra-news/dalit-groups-bandh-in-maharashtra-called-off-1795363|title=प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने महाराष्ट्र बंद वापस लेने का किया ऐलान, लोकल ट्रेन की सेवाएं फिर से बहाल|website=NDTVIndia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ndtv.in/maharashtra-news/live-update-mumabi-band-br-ambedkar-grandson-strike-in-maharashtratoday-pune-violence-1795091|title=मुंबई में दिखा दलित समुदाय के बंद का असर, कई बसें तोड़ीं, रेल सेवा की बाधित|website=NDTVIndia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/hindi/india-42540567|title=कोरेगांव हिंसा: दलित संगठनों का आज महाराष्ट्र बंद|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thewirehindi.com/30471/bhima-koregaon-violence-maharashtra-bandh/|title=महाराष्ट्र बंद: मुंबई में बसों पर हमला, नागपुर और पुणे में स्थिति तनावपूर्ण|website=thewirehindi.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatv.in/india/national-prakash-ambedkar-give-ultimatum-to-maharashtra-bjp-government-arrest-sambhaji-bhide-in-eight-days-574885|title=महाराष्ट्र: प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने दिया बीजेपी को अल्टीमेटम- भीमा-कोरेगांव हिंसा के मुख्य आरोपी संभाजी भिड़े को आठ दिन में करें गिरफ्तार|first=Avinash|last=Tripathi|date=27 March 2018|website=India TV Hindi}}</ref><ref>http://hindi.sakshi.com/news/2018/01/03/prakash-ambedkar-withdraws-maharashtra-bandh-call</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loksatta.com/mumbai-news/live-updates-bhima-koregaon-violence-mumbai-pune-prakash-ambedkar-dalit-outfits-on-road-railway-protest-1610478/|title=आंबेडकरी संघटनांचा महाराष्ट्र बंद मागे; प्रकाश आंबेडकरांची घोषणा|date=3 January 2018}}</ref>