Ludhiana, Oct. 16 -- Commuters across Ludhiana were left stranded on Thursday as a statewide bandh choked main transit arteries and wiped government buses completely off the streets. The shutdown was called to demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the October 13 killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, while simultaneously highlighting the state's escalating drug menace. With public transport brought to a grinding halt, office-goers and daily travellers faced a chaotic struggle to find alternative rides amid mounting crowds at major bus terminals and traffic intersections.

The sudden disruption threw normal life out of gear across the region, turning routine morning commutes into an ordeal....