Violent protests continue in Bihar on third day

Patna, Oct 24 (UNI) Despite the appeal for calm by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and all other political leaders, violent protests by angry students continued unabated in different parts of Bihar on the third day today.

However, train services, which came to a grinding halt during the past two days in the wake of largescale vandalism, started limping back to normal with a number of long distance and passenger trains resuming their journeys to their respective destinations several hours behind schedule today.

Though the violence and acts of vandalism during the past two days were mostly concentrated in far off districts, today it showed its ugly face in the state capital and its adjoining areas, where thousands of students staged violent protests in several localities, vandalising shops, pelting stones and setting fire on roads.

Reports of similar acts of vandalism and unprovoked violence also came from Simahi town in East Champaran, Gaya Railway station and in several other places, where angry students shouting anti-MNS and anti-Raj Thackeray slogans damaged railway and other government property.

But everywhere they were soon dispersed by police, who resorted to lathicharge. More than 25 students were also taken into custody on charge of ransacking stations, official sources here said.

Meanwhile, except the All India Students' Association, the student's wing of the CPI-ML, all other sponsors of tomorrow's proposed ''Bihar Bandh', including the JD(U), RJD, LJP and the NSUI, withdrew their support to the statewide bandh in view of the coming festive season and yesterday's decision in the all party meeting for further action against the MNS.

An irate mob of students assembled at the busy Boring Road.

X X X Eds here pick up from para four line one of Ca 13, ''Agitation-Bihar-Violence'' UNI ABA SJC SY HS2017