The Mumbai Police has once again proven to be the messaiah of citizens in crisis, especially in the last three days when the maximum city came to a halt following the Bhima Koregaon clashes.
As the violence, that left one person dead, brought the city to a standstill, citizens in distress were praising the Mumbai Police, who not only constantly updated the public of the situation in the city after a bandh was announced on Wednesday, 3 December, but also kept responding to distress calls on Twitter.
Many people took to Twitter to laud Mumbai Police’s instant response.
The day-long Maharashtra bandh – called by various Dalit organisations to protest the violence against the commemoration of the Bhima Koregaon battle – has been withdrawn, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar said on Wednesday.
He told reporters that nearly 50 percent of the state's population took part in the shut-down. Road blockades, arson and stone-pelting incidents were reported in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra.
However, Ambedkar claimed that the bandh was peaceful.
Dalits began protests in suburban Chembur, Ghatkopar, Kamraj Nagar, Vikhroli, Dindoshi, Kandivali, Jogeshwari, Kalanagar and Mahim, police said.
Hundreds of protesters tried to block the Western Express Highway in the morning, but were moved from the spot by the police. In view of the protests in the city and its suburban areas, police diverted traffic for smooth vehicular movement.
Incidents of stone pelting were reported at a few places on the harbour line, police said. Protesters jumped on the railway tracks at Govandi, Mankhurd and Kurla, due to which suburban services towards Panvel, Belapur and Vashi were stopped for a few hours, official said.
Similar protests at Thane, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, Vikhroli and Ghatkopar stations on Central Railway line led to a long queues of trains on tracks.
Hundreds of commuters were spotted walking on the railway tracks.
On the Western Railway, protesters obstructed services at Nallasopara station.
Thirteen buses of the civic transport service 'BEST' were damaged by protesters in Kalanagar area (Bandra), Dharavi, Kamraj Nagar, Santosh Nagar, Dindoshi and Hanuman Nagar, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said.
The agitation of Dalit outfits halted suburban local train service at Ghatkopar as trains heading towards CSMT were affected.
Several local trains running towards CSMT were also halted.
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