Strike over fuel price rises disrupts life in India

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France's incumbent President and UMP party candidate for the 2012 French presidential elections Nicolas Sarkozy and his spokesperson Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet (L) speak with a cafe owner during a campaign visit in Longjumeau, Paris suburb Tuesday.

NEW DELHI, July 5 (AFP): An opposition-led strike over fuel price rises disrupted life across India Monday, triggering transport mayhem and sporadic violence in major cities where schools and businesses closed down.
Flights were grounded in commercial airline hubs such as Mumbai and Kolkata, while protesters attacked buses, blocked roads with burning tyres and organised sit-down protests on inter-city railway links.
Police were out in force to prevent any large-scale unrest during the day-long strike called by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and leftist parties in a show of strength against the Congress-led government's reform programme.
The response was mixed, with the greatest impact felt in states with non-Congress administrations, like West Bengal, Karnataka and Bihar.
The day of action virtually shut down the software sector in India's IT showcase city Bangalore -- the capital of BJP-ruled Karnataka -- where hundreds of software firms, including giants like Infosys and Wipro, told employees to stay at home.