Mumbai: Shiv Sena members assaulted autorickshaw drivers in Maharashtra’s Thane on Monday following the Maha Vikas Aghadi government imposed bandh in support of the farmers in Uttar Pradesh, a week after four farmers were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri.
According to the video footage which was widely shared on social media, the men were spotted stopping autorickshaw drivers patrolling the streets of Thane. A driver was even slapped. Some of them were armed with sticks, which they used to beat up passing auto drivers. Passengers on autos seemed startled.
As per reports, public buses were forced to stay off the roads for most of the day, after some individuals threw stones at them and the bus services were restarted after 4 in the evening.
Government Railway Police Commissioner Quaiser Khalid stated that the protesters were sighted at three train stations in Thane, Mulund and Vikhroli.
A Maharashtra traders’ organisation protested against the bandh on Sunday but eventually decided to endorse it. The governing MVA saw the action as coercion after BJP stated that the Shiv Sena, Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party coalition government will not be allowed to close down stores forcibly on the day of the bandh.
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Earlier on Monday, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik claimed the shutdown was being observed peacefully. However admitted that ‘there are reports about people throwing stones at some places, which is not right. No one should indulge in such activities.’
The Mumbai Police devised a meticulous plan to guarantee that public life was not disrupted due to bandh. Police officers were stationed at all key locations. The Mumbai Police Department received assistance from three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, 500 Home Guards and 700 additional troops in preserving law and order.
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