S. 144 of the CrPC was imposed in Gaya in Bihar in 2019 as part of a reaction to contain the fallout…

The correct choice is: “heatwave”

In June 2019 a severe heatwave in Bihar killed well over a hundred people, mainly in Gaya, Aurangabad and Nawada districts. The Gaya district administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC, banning outdoor work such as construction, MGNREGA labour and gatherings during the hottest hours of the day (roughly 11 am to 4 pm) to prevent heatstroke deaths. (Section 144 CrPC has since been replaced by Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.)

Bihar is land-locked and was not hit by a “cyclone” that required such orders in 2019. No major “earthquake” struck Gaya in 2019. Although parts of Bihar faced dry conditions, the Section 144 orders were a response to extreme heat, not “drought”.