MAXIMUM TROUBLE IN ‘MINIMUM’ CITY

The first indication of trouble came when the traffic grind to a halt on Tuesday morning at the Eastern Express Highway; the embargo lasted till post-noon. The protest had a cascading effect and the Central Railway were constrained to suspend their suburban services between Kurla and Vashi.

The protest fanned out as Dalit groups from Chembur, Vikhroli, Mankhurd and Govandi spilled into the streets. Protesters attempted to march towards Ambedkar Garden in Chembur, but were restricted by the police. They retaliated by blocking the traffic on the roads, including on the Sion Panvel highway. More trouble is expected on Wednesday, especially in Mumbai's eastern suburbs. Prakash Ambedkar’s call for bandh has been backed by numerous Dalit outfits but the main political parties will keep at bay. Almost every second lane in Ghatkopar was blocked by protestors. Men, women and children in almost every age group could be seen participating in the protests and even pelting stones at the police, which struggled to control the situation.

Areas like Lokhande Marg, Anand Nagar, Siddhart Colony, Ramabai Colony and Ashok Nagar, which have mostly Dalit residents, were the other flashpoints where the police resorted to lathi charge. Incidentally, the media was restrained from clicking snaps of the protests.

The police used the social media to notify citizens to steer clear of certain roads. They were advised to take roads where the traffic was slow, but moving. Normalcy was restored on Eastern Express late on Tuesday evening. The police were not spared and at least two sustained injuries. J D More, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, has a fracture in the forearm and was admitted at Zen Hospital. Deepak Khedekar, 33-year-old constable, suffered an eye injury.