From Shivaji Park to Navi Mumbai, the Shiv Sena flexes its muscles. DNA brings on-the-spot reports from city, suburbs.
From Shivaji Park to Navi Mumbai, the Sena flexes its muscles. DNA brings on-the-spot reports from city, suburbs
Shivaji Park
Shiv Sena activists went on a rampage and torched a tourist bus at Shivaji Park in Dadar, central Mumbai. “Around 11 a.m. the Sainiks staged rasta-rook in front of Chandragupta Hotel at Shivaji Park and held the traffic for over half an hour. The bus was stranded,” said Senior Police Inspector Shashikant Chatur.
Chatur said, “The tourist bus (GJ 18 U 9898) had come from Surat and was standing empty near Shivaji Park when the incident took place. The fire brigade and the Regional Transport Office are expected to give their report by Monday, and the exact cause of fire will hopefully be known then.” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Arup Patnaik, who visited Shivaji Park, said, “There is a possibility that the bus could have caught fire due to short circuit. Only an investigation will reveal if the bus was set on fire or if the fire was caused by short circuit.”
Andheri
There were clashes between mobs of two communities, especially in the western part, after groups from the the majority community started forcibly shutting down shops near the station around 1.30pm.
At least seven people, including senior police inspector of DN Nagar police station, Ajayendra Thakore, were injured. Thakore received serious injuries on head and was admitted to a nearby hospital.
The police said the group went on a rampage, pelted stones and looted shops after a verbal altercation with shopkeepers belonging to the minority community. The groups later allegedly pelted stones on the Jama Masjid near Andheri station. Stones were also reportedly pelted on taxis, autorickshaws and private vehicles.
Members of the minority community retaliated. People assembled in large numbers on SV Road and resorted to sloganeering. The police had to resort to caning.
DN Nagar station Police Inspector Pradeep Suryavanshi said, “We have intensified patrolling in the area and have asked people not to venture out on the street. Adequate personnel have been deployed in sensitive areas of the suburb to ensure no untoward incident happens.”
Meanwhile, the police resorted to mild caning in Malad (West) following incidents of stone pelting in Orlem. Rest of the suburbs, including Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Vile Parle, remained quiet as almost all shopkeepers downed shutters.
Borivali, Dahisar
Shiv Sainiks blocked roads on the Western Express Highway in Dahisar, Mira Road, Kandivali and Malad, and forced shops to down shutters. Bandh like situation was seen in party strongholds. Sainiks called a bandh in Kandivali and Malad. BEST services stopped by afternoon in Borivili, Dahisar and Kandivali.
Around 11am, Sainiks barged into shopping complexes and forced shop owners to shut down. Shoppers were pushed out of the complex, claimed shopkeepers. The mob threatened to burn goods if they were not obeyed, the shopkeepers said.
Charkop, Kandivali and Malad wore a deserted look. Sainiks moved around in vehicles ordering people to clear the roads.
Thane
Shutters of all business establishments were down. Thousands of Sainiks took to the streets and forced the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) services off road after setting a Bhiwandi-bound MSRTC bus on fire and pelting stones at seven TMT buses.
Sena district unit chief MLA Eknath Shinde said, “It is the spontaneous decision of people to observe bandh. We did not have to give a bandh call.” He added, “Agitation will continue till Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi is arrested. He is behind the entire episode and will be responsible for consequences in future.” Shinde alleged that during his visit to Bhiwandi on July 4, Azmi provoked Muslim people there to attack the police, which resulted in the killing of two policemen.
People preferred to stay indoors. Leaders and party workers took out a rally to Meenatai Thackeray Square from the party office where an effigy of Abu Azmi was burnt. Sainiks pelted stones at business establishments kept open. Incidents of stone pelting at Eternity Mall, Teen Hath Naka, Big Bazaar and Kapurbavdi Square were also reported. The entire public transport system was disrupted. A few autorickshaws were also damaged.
Sena leaders also staged a rail-roko at the Thane station. Two locals, one bound for Badlapur and another for Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, were detained for over half an hour. The Naupada police, led by Senior Police Inspector Ajit Deshmukh, removed the agitating Sainiks.
Navi Mumbai
Shiv Sainiks in Navi Mumbai and even some Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers came out in support of the bandh. At meetings held in front of the Belapur police station, near Nerul station and in Koparkhairane, the Sena leaders called upon the Sainiks not to react sharply and to enforce the bandh with restraint. The APMC and market lanes across Navi Mumbai were shut down as soon as the bandh call was given.
Sena leaders Manohar Gayakhe, Shirish Gharat, Rohidas Patil and Mahesh Khairnar, while addressing party workers at CBD police station, doubted the role of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi in the desecration of Meenatai’s statue in response to the Sena’s aggressive stand over the recent killing of two constables in Bhiwandi. Small corner meetings were also held at Sanpada, Turbhe, Vashi and Airoli.
Two cases of stone pelting were reported in the Turbhe police station limit. A mob of Sena supporters pelted stones at an NMMT bus heading towards Vashi near D’ Mart square. Four commuters and the bus conductor were injured, according Jitendra Padh, an eye-witness who resides in Koparkhairane.
Sainiks also pelted stones at a civic transport bus near the Saibaba temple in Sanpada, ACP PV Ugale said. No major injuries were reported.
Stone pelting incidents were also reported from Belapur.
The police effected preventive arrests at Rabale, Turbhe, Nerul, Taloja, Kalamboli and Panvel.
Reports by Presley Thomas, Ashwin Aghor, Ramya Narayanan, Chittaranjan Tembhekar and Samod Sarngan
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