Dawn to dusk bandh begins in Sikkim

Gangtok, Sep 29 (UNI) The dawn to dusk bandh called by the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) today began at 0600 hours on a peaceful note.

All the business establishments, schools and government offices remained closed all over the state. Barring Army vehicles and emergency services, all other vehicles stayed off roads.

There was no traffic movement along NH 31 A upto Rangpo, the border town of Sikkim. No vehicles entered or left Sikkim from the entry points of Rangpo and Melli check posts.

Police informed that no untoward incident had been reported so far and the bandh was being observed peacefully.

The SDF had called a 12-hour bandh in protest against the burning of the effigy of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling by a fringe organisation recently at Siliguri in West Bengal. The organisation had also alleged Mr Chamling to be a citizen of Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Opposition, comprising the Congress and Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP), had also called a bandh today on some burning issues in the state.

Today's strike is the first ever bandh called by the ruling SDF in its past 14 years of rule in Sikkim. The bandh is also a first in the state after a gap of 11 years with the last bandh being observed in 1977.

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