India, Dec. 9 -- A 12-hour bandh called by three youth organisations in Arunachal Pradesh's Itanagar began on Tuesday morning, bringing the capital to a complete halt. Markets remained closed, public transport stayed off the roads and major junctions wore a deserted look. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed at multiple points across Itanagar, Naharlagun and Nirjuli as a precautionary measure. No incident of violence was reported till the filing of this report.

The bandh was called jointly by the Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Youth Organisation (APIYO), Indigenous Youth Force of Arunachal (IYFA) and the All Naharlagun Youth Organisation (ANYO), despite the district administration declaring the shutdown "illegal and unlawfu...