Maratha reservation stir shuts down Pune
PUNE: The second ‘Maharashtra Bandh’ within a month, called by the Sakal Maratha Samaj, demanding reservations, received an overwhelming response in Pune on Thursday with shops and restaurants downing shutters and vehicles staying off the roads for most part of the day.
Incidents of vandalism were reported from the district collectorate area, Chandni Chowk and Pimpri-chinchwad. Protesters held a ‘rasta roko’ on the Pune Mumbai Expressway at Urse toll booth, leading to traffic disruption for nearly two hours. Traffic on the expressway was extremely thin, highway police said.
Pune police commissioner Dr K Venkatesham said that the situation was tense but under control. “Cases will be lodged against those who indulged in violence. Our teams are in talks with the protesters and closely monitoring the situation.”
The industrial township of Chakan where more than 60 vehicles and public transport buses were vandalised and torched by protesters barely 10 days ago, was peaceful.some protesters at Chandni Chowk set tyres on fire and threw stones on the police who used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. A mob also tried to create disruptions at the Hyatt Hotel in Kalyani Nagar but left without causing any damage, hotel sources said.
A few IT firms at Hinjewadi and Aundh, and other business establishments were forced to close for the day by the protesters. The bandh call didn’t evoke any response in Pimpri Chinchwad industrial township. Police had a tough time dealing with some protesters who climbed a transmission tower and planted saffron flags.