Shops Shut Across Beed In Support of Jantar Mantar Protest

Beed: Responding to the Maharashtra Bandh call given by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar in support of the ongoing student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, Beed district witnessed a strong response on Thursday. Traders and shopkeepers across Beed city, as well as in Georai, Ambajogai, Sirsala and Ghatnandur, voluntarily kept their establishments closed in solidarity with the movement.

The protests at Jantar Mantar were sparked by the NEET paper leak and the subsequent suicides of several students. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging him to take moral responsibility for the alleged lapses. The VBA called for the statewide bandh following allegations of excessive police force being used against students protesting in the national capital.

In Beed city, commercial hubs including Subhash Road, Bashirganj and Dhondipura witnessed a near-complete shutdown as traders downed shutters. Similar scenes were reported from several rural and suburban parts of the district, where the bandh received a widespread response.

Throughout the day, VBA activists visited markets in urban and rural areas, urging shopkeepers to support the bandh. They said the issue went beyond politics, as it concerned the future of the country's youth.

The bandh remained peaceful across the district, with police confirming that no untoward incidents were reported. MSRTC bus services operated as usual.

According to reports from Ambajogai, Parli Vaijnath, Kaij, Dharur, Majalgaon, Ashti, Georai, Patoda, Wadwani and Shirur Kasar, the bandh received a good response.