Sporadic incidents of arson, road blockade and the arrest of Shibu Soren, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief, marked the dawn-to-dusk Ranchi bandh called by the party to protest alleged police high-handedness during the statewide bandh on Tuesday.

The Tuesday bandh was called by pro-domicile groups protesting against an examination to recruit teachers that was open to candidates from other states.

City Superintendent of Police Asish Batra said Soren, along with 50 supporters, flouted prohibitory orders by staging a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan and was taken into preventive custody for violating section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The Wednesday bandh affected normal life, as almost all shops and markets remained closed. However, government offices and public sector units functioned normally.

A private bus was set on fire at Hulhundu in the Hatia police station area on Wednesday morning, sources in the DGP control room said. Road blockades were also put up in the area to stop the advance of police.

Though there were reports of a crude bomb explosion in Ranchi, Batra denied that any such incident had occurred.