IANS/Patna
Thousands of Home Guards in Bihar halted dozens of trains and blocked major roads yesterday to protest against the state government’s failure to fulfil their demands.
A patient died in Hajipur when his ambulance was stuck for hours on a road blocked by the protesters.
Meanwhile, Lalu Prasad Yadav, chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal which is an ally of the ruling Janata Dal (United), sought the intervention of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to provide facilities to Home Guards according to the direction of the Supreme Court.
“The chief minister should immediately talk to Home Guard personnel for an immediate end to their strike,” he said.
Yadav said generally people from the weaker and marginalised sections join the Home Guard and the state government should take care of them.
The Home Guards are demanding an increase in pay, accident cover during duty and post-retirement benefits from the Bihar government.
“Trains were halted at Patna, Darbhanga, Buxar, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, Jehanabad, Munger, Jamui, Ara, Gaya, Supaul, Samastipur and other railway stations by the protesters,” a police official said.
In Patna, hundreds of Home Guards blocked the busy R-block crossing causing massive traffic jam. National Highways 83, 110 and 98 were also blocked.
Over 70,000 Home Guards in Bihar began an indefinite strike last week.
According to state home department officials, the Home Guard personnel are deployed for traffic regulation, in banks, jails and police stations.
Home Guards sit on railway tracts as they stage a protest in Patna yesterday.
