Kasargod: An undeclared hartal called by a section of social media users against the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Katua, Kammu and Kashmir; has evoked a good response. Vehicles, including bus services, have totally been shut down since morning.

The hartal, which was organised by Janapara Samithi Kerala, was mobilised through WatsApp. While people were in confusion about the strike, shops were remained shut and vehicles remained off the roads on Monday.

Roads were blocked by placing tyres and tree branches. Stones were pelted at a government bus in Uppala. In some places, the protestors did not allow vehicular movement on Manjeshwar highway, Nayammaramoole, Eriyal, Cherkala and in some other places.

So for, police have taken 25 people in custody who allegedly caused the disruption of vehicular movement. Several autorickshaws and bikes have also been seized.

A message ‘Kerala bandh on Monday’ was being circulated in social media, but it did not mention name of any organisation or party who has called the strike. Police did not take this message seriously. But since this morning, a complete bandh situation was formed. Only then the police became alert.  

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Ranchi(PTI): The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has emerged as a surprise element in the Jharkhand assembly elections with its candidates leading in five of the six seats where the party is contesting, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website on Saturday.

RJD candidates in five assembly seats were leading over sitting BJP legislators.

In 2019, RJD had secured only the Chatra seat where its nominee Satyanand Bhokta won.

In Deoghar, RJD’s Suresh Paswan was leading by 19,581 votes over his nearest rival and BJP's sitting MLA Narayan Das after the third round of counting.

RJD’s Sanjay Prasad Yadav was ahead by 19,867 votes in Godda over BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal after the sixth round of counting.

In Koderma, RJD nominee Subhash Prasad Yadav, who was out on bail, was leading by a margin of 3,471 votes over BJP’s sitting legislator Neera Yadav.

Subhas Prasad Yadav, considered to be one of the close aides of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case.

Party’s Naresh Prasad Singh was leading by 5,159 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP’s Bishrampur MLA Ramchandra Chandravanshi.

RJD's Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav was also leading from Hussainabad by 8,213 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP MLA Kamlesh Kumar Singh.

Party’s candidate Rashmi Prakash, however, was trailing from Chatra by 3,776 votes.

Bhokta did not contest the elections this time, and his daughter-in-law Prakash was given a ticket.