Puducherry observes total bandh after nine-year-old girl’s murder

Puducherry on March 8 came to a standstill due to a total bandh in the aftermath of the murder of a nine-year-old girl in the union territory recently. The bandh was called by both the AIADMK and the INDIA Bloc. Both public and private establishments have extended support to the bandh, with shops, restaurants and cinema halls closed for business. Transport facilities have also been severely affected in Puducherry due to the bandh. On March 5, the nine-year-old’s body was discovered in a drain near her house in Sholai Nagar 72 hours after she was reported missing by her family. The child was abducted from outside her home on March 2 and sexually assaulted. TNM’s Azeefa Fathima reports from Puducherry.