Just days before the group of nine left parties, supported by the Maoists, were getting ready to carry out a torch procession, a day before the bandh called by them, the government announced it was banning all such processions. Carrying flaming torches in procession is a favourite mode of protest, especially among the left parties. The government reasoned that since such processions are generally held in crowded urban areas, they pose a potential fire hazard.