Ahmedabad, Aug 08: Amidst sporadic incidents of arson and stone pelting on state transport buses, the opposition Congress-sponsored Gujarat bandh to protest hike in electricity tariff, college and court fees today evoked partial response as senior party leaders Amarsinh Chaudhary and Shankarsinh Vaghela were arrested for defying prohibitory orders, official sources said. Nearly 500 Congress activists were taken into preventive custody throughout the state after they allegedly set ablaze and pelted stones on buses, in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Bhavnagar districts, police said.

Chaudhary, leader of the opposition and Pradesh Congress Committee president Vaghela, were arrested for defying prohibitory orders when they tried to take out a rally from the Congress office in Ellisbridge area, police said.

Mob burnt one bus and smashed windows of 25 others during the bandh which was supported by various farmers and students organisations. A report from Surat said that plying of state transport buses on the national highway linking Mumbai was suspended for a few hours as mobs resorted to 'rasta roko' near Valsad.

A bus was also torched near the south Gujarat University while vehicular traffic was affected in Bharuch, Amreli and Rajkot regions, police said, adding protestors also resorted to tree-felling to stop vehicular movement in rural areas.

The Gujarat PCC termed as "unconstitutional" the arrest of Chaudhary and Vaghela. Bureau Report