The nationwide strike call given by various trade unions started on a tragic note after a Haryana Roadways employee was crushed under the wheels of a state roadways transport bus early today.

Narinder Singh, a Haryana Roadways driver, was protesting near the Ambala bus depot gate when district authorities tried to ply bus services forcibly, Haryana Roadways Workers Union's Ambala district president Inder Singh Bhadana said.