Bandh

Bandh, originally a Urdu word meaning "closed", is a form of protest used by political activists in South Asian countries such as India and Nepal. It is similar to a general strike. During a bandh, a political party or a community declares a general strike. A Bharatha bandh is a call for a bandh across India, and a bandh can also be called for an individual state or municipality.

Often, it is going to be the best community or political party declaring a bandh expects the general public to stay in at home and not report to work. Most affected are shopkeepers who are expected to keep their shops closed, as well as public transport operators of buses and cabs who are expected to stay off the road and not carry passengers. There have been instances when large metro cities have been brought to a standstill.

A bandh is a powerful means of civil disobedience. Because of the huge impact of a bandh on the local community, it is a much-feared tool of protest.

Burglary, forced closures, arson attacks, stoning, and clashes between the bandh organizers and the police are common during the period of closure.

The Supreme Court of India opposed against any sort of hooliganism in the name of 'bandh' in 1998, 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. Government of West Bengal also baned bandh often conducted by communist party of India.

Bandh was a common phenomenon by congress party in many states where they are in opposition. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and 13 non-UPA parties called for a nationwide bandh on July 5, 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. In Nepal, calls for bandhs have increased due to political instability.

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