Angry mobs attacked policemen, set ablaze a patrol jeep and damaged private vehicles as a bandh called by opposition parties and student organisations on Tuesday paralysed normal life in Patna.

The bandh has been called in protest against the killing of three youths on Saturday in an alleged encounter with the police in Ashiana Nagar, which observed a complete bandh as shops and business establishments downed their shutters and vehicles were off the roads.

Agitators attacking police vehicles and torching one of them and injuring at least five policemen in the locality, official sources said.

They also damaged several private vehicles and deflated tyres, the sources said.

Banks and government offices in the locality too were closed as bandh supporters, led by senior leaders, including
former Union minister Dr C P Thakur, Samata Party state president Raghunath Jha and BJP state president Nandkishore Yadav, took out a procession forcing people to remain indoors.

Anti-riot vehicles patrolled the streets to maintain law and order.

However, the bandh call did not have much of an impact in other localities where vehicles plied amidst heavy police presence.

The BJP, CPI-ML(L), Indian Federal Democratic Party and some student organisations had given separate bandh calls to protest against the killing.

They are also demanding immediate arrest of the policemen involved in the incident, registration of a case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and ex-gratia payment of Rs one million to each of the bereaved families.

More reports from Bihar