Mumbai
Even as Maratha leaders gave call to end their Mumbai shutdown on Wednesday afternoon and asked protesters in other parts of the state to follow suit. But agitators in Thane and Navi Mumbai ignored the appeal and continued their stir.
The move to call off the agitation was taken after several violent incidents erupted in Mumbai as well as surrounding areas, including the burning of a BEST bus on the Ghatkopar Mankhurd Road and an agitation against mediapersons in Kalamboli that forced the police to fire in the air and launch a lathi-charge. Four to five people were also reported injured in mob violence.
Maratha leaders in Navi Mumbai and Thane also expressed willingness to withdraw the agitation, but were met with resistance from protesters on the ground. Discussions are on to resolve the situation.
Protestors at Navi Mumbai’s Kalamboli eway entry point said they will not withdraw agitation till chief minister or any other government representative meets them and accepts their demands.
Since morning large groups of Maratha activists armed with saffron flags and banners, took to the streets with noisy processions amidst tight police security in Mumbai and other districts like Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
Roads were blocked in several parts of Mumbai. There was an attempt to block the suburban railway system in Thane. Stones were pelted at city transport buses in Navi Mumbai, and private vehicular traffic was also stopped by the protestors.
Most shops and commercial establishments remained shut in important pockets like Dadar, Andheri, Mulund, Kanjurmarg, Borivali, Kandivali, and in many other places as Maratha activists went around requesting shopkeepers to down shutters and express solidarity with their cause.
A large group of protestors blocked certain pockets on the Eastern Express Highway and Western Express Highway, disrupting normal traffic movement, as well as arterial roads in the suburbs, stopping all vehicles from plying to and from on the highways.
Maratha groups call off Mumbai bandh after violence, but protesters in Navi Mumbai and Thane adamant
Maratha leaders in Navi Mumbai also expressed willingness to withdraw the agitation, but were met with resistance from protesters on the ground.
“The government has taken cognisance of the protest by Maratha community and has taken several decisions. The government is ready to talk to them. A law was made for reservation to the community, but that was stayed by Bombay High Court,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
The protests in Navi Mumbai, roughly 20km off Mumbai, are on. In Kalamboli, one of the key areas of Navi Mumbai, the police had to use batons and teargas to control protesters, who were squatting on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
Stones were thrown at two buses in Navi Mumbai. The protesters also forced shops to close in many areas. In Raigadh district’s Kamothe, protesters took to the streets, shutting down shops and holding a bike rally.