Bharat Bandh: Lukewarm response in Pune, Solapur, Rail roko in Mumbai, no impact in Thane

Pune / Mumbai:

The Bharat Bandh called by Bahujan Kranti Morcha (BKM) and some organisations against the CAA and the NRC failed to evoke much response in Maharashtra’s Pune, barring few areas in the city where shops remained shut. Suburban services of the Central Railway (CR) in Mumbai were briefly affected on Wednesday morning due to a protest on tracks at Kanjurmarg station as part of the Bharat Bandh.

At least 100 protesters gathered on the tracks at the railway station around 8 am and stopped CSMT-bound slow trains, police said. They raised slogans and waved the National Flag. The protesters were later removed by the police and detained. Due to the disruption, the services on the CR line are running late by 10-15 minutes, an official said – reports PTI.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state, police detained at least 250 members of various organisations, including the BKM, for holding protests in areas such as Sarasbaug, Swargate, near Golibar Maidan, Chandan Nagar, and Yerwada.

“In Sarasbaug, members of the BKM were protesting peacefully. They were detained for defying prohibitory orders,” said a senior officer from Swargate police station. In all, at least 250 members were detained from various areas, a senior Special Branch official said, adding that no untoward incident was reported from the city.

Overall, the bandh received a tepid response in the city where public transport remained unaffected. Schools and colleges also remained open. In areas such as Pune Camp, Kondhwa and Bhavani Peth, some shops and commercial establishments downed their shutters.

One of the detainees, Shatayu Bhagale, said they were taken into custody by the police while distributing roses and requesting shop-keepers in Sarasbaug area to participate in the bandh.

Meanwhile, city transport were sent back to depots in Hadapsar area by some people gathered on a road, said Anant Waghmare, Traffic Head, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML). The services resumed immediately after police reached the spot, he said.

In Solapur too, the bandh received a lukewarm response with shops remaining shut only in few areas of the city. At Walsang in Solapur district, a group of protestors tried to disrupt a weekly vegetable market, but relented after local traders and police informed them that veggies come for sale from far-off places.

In Miraj town in Sangli district in western Maharashtra, an auto-rickshaw was damaged after its driver refused to take part in the bandh. “We have detained two persons for damaging the windshield of the rickshaw,’ a local police officer said. Shops in some areas remained closed in the town.

Multiple organisations, including Bahujan Kranti Morcha, have reportedly called for a Bharat Bandh in protest against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).  

“Suburban UP Slow train on Central Railway stopped at Kanjur Marg station by a mob of people. However DN slow, Fast lines traffic is normal,” said Shivaji Sutar, Chief PRO, CR. “We request people not to stop trains and cooperate us for smooth operation of suburban trains,” Sutar said.

Meanwhile, no effect of bandh was seen in neighbouring Thane city and surrounding areas. Public transport is normal in Thane and shops and educational institutes are open, a police control room official said. Police personnel are deployed at various spots, he added.    (PTI)