A trade union leader trying to stop a bus from plying was killed in Ambala as the two-day nationwide strike called by Central trade unions disrupted normal life in many states on Wednesday and hit banking and transport sectors leaving commuters in the lurch.

In Haryana, bus driver Narender Singh, who was also the treasurer of AITUC, was killed when he tried to stop a bus which was being taken out from the Ambala Depot despite the strike, district president, Haryana Roadways Workers Union's, Inder Singh Bhadana said.

After the incident, other assembled workers resorted to violence damaging vehicles belonging to the Ambala's Deputy Commissioner of Police and SHO of the Baldev police station area, police said.

Earlier, AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta told PTI that the victim was allegedly stabbed to death by some persons who wanted to take out buses from the depot despite the strike.

Commuters in the national capital faced hardships as a section of auto-rickshaws and taxis remained off the road in support of the strike.

Although Metro services were not affected by the strike, bus services were partially hit by the strike as a number of bus unions, including a section of Delhi Transport Corporation employees, have also extended support to the strike.

Eleven central unions have called the strike to demand urgent steps to control price rise, strict enforcement of labour laws in all places of work, social security net for workers in the unorganised sector, end to disinvestment in PSUs and raising minimum wage to Rs 10,000.

The impact of the strike was felt on public transport services in Punjab and Haryana as majority of state owned buses plying on inter-state routes in the two states remained off the roads.

In Mahrashtra, the financial sector was hit as bank employees joined the strike.

"We have received massive response to our strike call as operations in banks and insurance companies came to a halt," All India Bank Employees Association Vice President Vishwas Uttagi claimed.

There was little impact of the two-day strike in West Bengal.Shops and markets were mostly open in Kolkata.Private buses and taxis were less, though state buses operated normally.