Bihar's ration dealers hold protests over honorarium, police baton-charge, use water cannons

Patna, Aug 22 (PTI) Ration dealers in Bihar held a demonstration here, blocked roads and pelted security personnel with stones over their demand for a monthly honorarium of Rs 30,000, prompting the police to baton-charge them, an officer said.

The police also used water cannons to disperse protesting dealers of the public distribution system (PDS), he said.

The agitators gathered near Dak Bunglow crossing in central Patna and disrupted the movement of vehicles over their demand for an honorarium of Rs 30,000 per month for each PDS dealer in the state.

“The protesters blocked roads at Dak Bungalow crossing and tried to breach barricades. Despite security personnel's repeated requests, they refused to vacate the roads. They also pelted security personnel with stones. Mild force and water cannons were used to disperse them," Krishna Murari Prasad, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Law and Order-1 (Patna), told reporters.

Some of the demonstrators were also detained, he added. PTI PKD BDC