Roads, hospitals, markets and shops wore a deserted look in Thane on Thursday due to the one-day bandh called by political parties against the ongoing demolition drive. The bandh, that was called by almost all political parties, except BJP and MNS, proved to be a success and all the services were badly hit. More than two dozen buses and as many taxis and autorickshaws were damaged in the bandh.
Students, who were set to appear for examinations scheduled for Thursday, were the worst affected by the bandh in Thane. Many students were stranded near the Thane railway station as they could not reach their exam centres as the buses were not plying. The University of Mumbai, however, said that exams were held at all the centres and none of the students failed to appear for the exams. The bandh was called against the ongoing demolition of illegal structures without providing alternate accommodation to the occupants as a fallout of collapse of an illegal building in Mumbra, which had left over 70 people dead.
According to the Thane police, at least 27 buses and 20 autorickshaws were damaged and three people were booked for rioting under Section 146 of the IPC. Party workers from the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena stopped all essential services by afternoon, which were running normally earlier. NCP’s Jitendra Ahvad and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde led the team of protesters and played a key role in enforcing the bandh. The buses of Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), MSRTC and BEST buses were not seen plying on the roads. Those supporting the bandh were also seen trying to stop private vehicles, including bikes and cars, from plying on the roads. The police said the bandh was total and security was stepped up in the city as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, an irate mob ransacked the cabin of TMT manager Devidas Tekale at the transport undertaking’s headquarters in Thane, police sources said. The police arrived on the scene and took into custody a couple of activists. The vandalism took place after a group of Shiv Sena leaders, who asked the manager to suspend the bus services, had a heated argument with a few other leaders over the bandh in Thane. Shiv Sena, which is ruling the TMC, supported the bandh, while MNS stayed away.