MEERUT, Dec. 18 -- A complete shutdown was observed across many western Uttar Pradesh districts on Wednesday following a call by the Central Struggle Committee demanding the establishment of a high court bench in the region. The impact of the bandh was most visible in Meerut, where nearly 1,200 organisations, including trade bodies, private school transport associations and the petrol pump union, extended support to the shutdown, bringing normal life to a halt. As a result, markets remained closed since early morning, while private schools, petrol pumps, and transport services also suspended operations. Police forces remained on high alert across the city to maintain law and order. Lawyers played a central role in enforcing the bandh. Eight teams of advocates fanned out across the city from the morning hours. Barring a few isolated instances, shops remained voluntarily closed. Where some establishments were initially open, traders shut them down on their own upon the arrival of lawyers' teams. A sit-in protest was staged at the district court gate under the leadership of the district bar president, highlighting the long-pending demand for a high court bench in western UP. The protest intensified at Begum Bridge, where lawyers and traders jointly formed a human chain and briefly blocked traffic, causing disruptions on the busy stretch. The protest was led by Sanjay Sharma, president of the Western Uttar Pradesh High Court Bench Central Struggle Committee and the Meerut Bar Association, along with committee convener Rajendra Singh Rana. Both factions of the Joint Traders' Association, along with traders' bodies from major markets in the district, extended voluntary support to the bandh. Claiming the shutdown to be successful, Sharma said public participation reflected the resentment in western UP over the continued absence of a high court bench. He added that the united response from traders, transporters and civil society sent a strong message to the authorities about the urgency of the demand....