Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi was on Wednesday night arrested along with over 300 party activists while staging 'Economic Blockade' on the first of their two-day state-wide agitation, the police said in Ranchi.
Marandi and the activists squatted on rail tracks at Muri in Silli, about 70 km from Ranchi, when they were arrested, the sources said.
Party's principal general secretary and MLA Pradip Yadav was also among the arrested. Party's Bokaro MLA Samresh Singh said the economic blockade was being observed in support of the 15-point charter of demands, including setting up a rail zone office and transfer of CIL and DVC headquarters to Jharkhand from Kolkata.
In Dhanbad, train movement on Grand Chord line and transportation on Grand Trunk road were disrupted while party activists and its MLAs squatted on tracks at Dhokra halt under Dhanbad rail division.
They also obstructed transport on GT Road at Maithon near Jharkhand-Bengal boarder for several hours, the police said.
Besides Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto of JVM-P, over 105 party workers were arrested for disrupting the trains, the sources said, adding that later they were released.
The party activists led by Mahto squatted on tracks near Dhokra halt at midnight last night, paralysing rail traffic including coal-loaded wagons rack.
The track was cleared after the police arrested Mahto and his supporters, the sources said.
Senior divisional commercial manager (Sr DCM) Sameer Kumar said train services were hit on Grand Chord line for more than five hours following the disruption.
The JVM activists led by its Sindri MLA Fulchand Mandal and former MLA Saba Ahmed squatted on GT road at Maithon, disrupting road traffic.
JVM-P activists also staged blockades at other districts like Ranchi, Godda, Giridih and Koderma.
