Strike hits life in Uttar Pradesh

Normal life was disrupted in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday as banks and post offices were closed and public transport went off the roads during a nationwide strike called by trade unions.

The impact of the strike was visible in cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Bareilly and Agra. There were reports of minor scuffles between protesters and police in Noida bordering Delhi.

Central trade unions called the strike to protest against changes in labour laws and privatisation of public sector undertakings among other demands.

Employees of post offices and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd struck work. They later took out a protest march from the GPO to Lalbagh here.

The Uttar Pradesh Roadways employees marched in Kanpur and held a 'chakka jam' in the city during which they forced people to get off private buses.

Angry over disrupted bus service, some people attacked drivers at a Varanasi depot and a few auto-rickshaw drivers too.