Maharashtra bandh: Security beefed up, schools and colleges remain open

All departments and affiliated colleges of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad will remain closed today

Security has been beefed up in Maharashtra as Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella body of Maratha groups has called for a state-wide bandh on Thursday over reservation issue.

Addressing the media, a leader of the Sakal Maratha Samaj, Amol Jadhavrao said that the state-wide bandh would be observed in a peaceful manner from 8 am to 6 pm. However, the bandh will not be observed in the Navi Mumbai.

Maharashtra Bandh

“We have called for a state-wide bandh on August 9. The bandh will not be observed in Navi Mumbai, due to some sensitive issue. Essential services, schools and colleges have been excluded from the bandh called by us,” Jadhavrao said.

He also urged the community members to not commit suicide over the issue and maintain their calm.

Meanwhile, police officials have also been deployed across the state to contain any unpleasant situation. “Adequate police deployment has been done to ensure peaceful bandh,” Manjunath Shinghe, Mumbai Police PRO said.

All departments and affiliated colleges of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad will remain closed today in view of the bandh.

Article source : BS

Maratha quota stir: Internet blocked in Navi Mumbai after clashes, arson

Police on Wednesday evening lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in the Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles and clashed with local people

Internet services in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai township have been suspended since early Thursday, a police official said.

The decision was taken in the wake of the situation in areas like Kopar Khairne, which witnessed violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Wednesday, he said.

The situation in Kopar Khairne was still tense, the official said.

ÁLSO READ :-Maratha quota stir escalates; buses attacked, trains stopped in Mumbai, Thane

Last evening, the police had lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles, clashed with local people and indulged in arson.

Miscreants had also set fire to a police outpost.

The incidents took place after the Maratha organisations, seeking reservations in government jobs and education, had called off the bandh.

A group of protesters who were returning home last night had hurled stones at vehicles of local people in Kopar Khairane, a police official earlier said.

READ MORE :- Maratha quota stir

Maratha quota stir escalates; buses attacked, trains stopped in Mumbai, Thane

Protesters attacked buses and stopped local trains in Mumbai and the adjoining Thane city today during the bandh called by Maratha outfits over their demand for reservation.

The police in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Satara districts were on their toes to prevent any law and order problem during the bandh.

In Aurangabad, a man, Jagannath Sonawane, who had consumed a poisonous substance yesterday during the protest, died today at a local government hospital.

ALSO READ : Maratha quota stir: Mumbai bandh today; Navi Mumbai, Panvel to also be shut

Nine public buses were attacked by agitators in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, a transport official said.

Agitators threw stones on some buses in Mumbai, including Kanjurmarg and Bhandup areas, shattering window panes.

In view of the stone-pelting on buses, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) partially suspended its services in some areas and expects to resume it when the situation improves, an official of the transport body said.

CLICK HERE : MUMBAI BANDH

Maratha quota stir: Mumbai bandh today; Navi Mumbai, Panvel to also be shut

As the Maratha quota stir intensified, agitators clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places on Tuesday

Mumbaikars on Wednesday braced for a Mumbai bandh after large-scale violence marred a state-wide protest on Tuesday by Maratha outfits demanding reservations for the community in Maharashtra, where a constable died and nine other policemen were injured amid a suicide attempt by three agitators.

As the stir for reservations in jobs and education intensified, the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, is taking its battle to Mumbai where it has called for the shutdown. Another outfit, the Sakal Maratha Samaj, called for a bandh on Wednesday in Navi Mumbai and Panvel as well.

On Tuesday, stone-pelting and arson were reported from several parts of the state, which remained on edge. Agitators clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places, while internet services were suspended in rural areas of Aurangabad district to prevent any untoward incident. In Jalna, the police fired in the air to scatter protesters.

The impact of Tuesday’s bandh was more visible in Aurangabad and adjoining districts in the central region of the state, a day after the death of a protester.

Quotas for Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state’s population, has been a hugely contentious issue.

One constable dies

A constable, deployed near the funeral venue of the protester who jumped to death on Monday, died. Police said the cause of death is yet to be ascertained.

“The postmortem report is awaited. Some injury marks were seen on his hands and legs,” a police official said, adding another constable there got injured in stone-pelting.

Protester Kakasaheb Shinde (27) had jumped to death from a bridge over the Godavari in Aurangabad on Monday.

Click Here  for Mumbai bandh

Bhima-Koregaon: When new Dalit leadership faces off with Hindutva project

The educated Dalit doesn't just want a ride on the bus of democracy; it wants to be at the steering wheels

Maharashtra saw violent protests after clashes between Dalits and some Maratha groups in Bhima Koregaon. Dalits had gathered in Pune to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon. These clashes and the subsequent protests brought the focus back on Dalit assertion and its conflict with Hindutva politics. The writer analyses this conflict in this Business Standard Special.

The determination and force of the response of the Dalits to the violence at the Bhima Koregaon has unsettled the BJP governments of the state of Maharashtra and the centre. It has also baffled the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This time it has not been easy for the BJP and the governments to denounce the protests the way could do in the past. Previously the Student leaders of the JNU were successfully branded as anti-national. The students and teachers of the Ramjas college of the university of Delhi were also declared anti-national. Before them, the student unrest - mainly led by Dalits - at the central University of Hyderabad was condemned as casteist and anti national. This time the response from the centre’s of power has been slightly complex.

It is true that the RSS tried to blame the violence at the Bhima Koregaon on Umar Khalid and Jignesh Mevani. It did say that the Bharat tere tukde honge gang was responsible for the violence. But interestingly, this time this allegation could not create the kind of frenzied attack on these leaders as we have seen on the previous occasions directed at Kanhaiya, Umar and others....Read more

Maharashtra bandh: Over 30 cops injured, 300 persons detained in Mumbai

Most of the injuries were a result of stones pelted on police personnel, said an official

 

 

Over 30 policemen sustained injuries in Mumbai on Wednesday during the protest called by various Dalit groups, a senior police official said on Thursday.

Most of the injuries were a result of stones pelted on police personnel, said an official.

He added that Powai and Govandi in the north-eastern part of the city saw the maximum number of cases with 11 policemen sustaining injuries in areas around Powai.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra bandh: 12 flights cancelled, 235 delayed; passengers stranded

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sahaji Umap of Zone VI said that 11 personnel were injured in Govandi and adjoining areas.

Police officials said that 16 First Information Reports (FIR) had been registered under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Police Act, the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act and the Indian Penal Code...

Read more about : Maharashtra bandh

Maharashtra bandh: Loss of over Rs 7 bn as protests put brakes on business

Incident will impact trade and tourism in the state, fear industry associations

 

 

Business houses in Maharashtra are counting their losses after a day-long bandh brought the state to a grinding halt on Wednesday.

While revenue loss from the shutdown is pegged at over Rs 7 billion, the larger worry is that the incident will adversely impact travel and trade in the state.

Buses and trains were halted and hotels and shops forced to down shutters, paralysing business activity around the state, in a bandh to protest the attack on the Dalit community in Pune district.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra bandh: Over 30 cops injured, 300 persons detained in Mumbai

"We have lost nearly Rs 1 billion worth of business in the past two days in Mumbai. There have been cancellations and the business cycle has got disrupted," said Dilip Datwani, vice-president of Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Associations of India. The city has over 7,000 hotels and restaurants.

Malls, which attract around 25,000 footfalls a day, were deserted till evening. Cinema halls did not see much of a business impact as business is generally thin during weekdays. Further, there were no new movie releases.

However, small establishments suffered the most. "There are around 3.5 million trade licence holders in the state. Even if we assume Rs 2,000 loss for each of them, the total revenue loss due to the bandh is Rs 7 billion. This is a good season for retailers due to weddings and foreign tourist arrivals. It is the second negative incident after the Kamala Mills fire and trade and tourism in the city is bound to be affected," said Viren Shah, president of Federation of Retail Trade Welfare Association.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra bandh called off; govt to probe incidents of violence, says CM

"Around 85 per cent of the costs for retailers are fixed in nature and a single-day business loss can wipe off 1.5 per cent of annual profit. Such bandhs do not help anyone," said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of Retailers Association of India.

Stone pelting, traffic blocked: Dalit protesters bring Mumbai to a halt

Striking Indian low-caste workers bring chaos to Mumbai

 

Many businesses in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai closed on Wednesday as from a low-caste community blocked traffic and shopping malls and staged sitprotesters -ins on railway lines after clashes with right-wing Hindus.

The call for a general strike across the western state of Maharashtra led to largely peaceful protests, but life in many parts of Mumbai was disrupted with Dalits pelting buses with stones and deflating tyres in some areas. Railway lines and some major roads leading into the city were blocked.

Also read : Maharashtra bandh: Internet blocked, school buses off roads, cops on alert

The Dalits, who rank at the bottom in India's ancient caste hierarchy, called the strike in protest against attacks from right-wing groups in the city of Pune on Monday. The strike shut businesses and schools in Mumbai and other cities across the state.

"The government didn't arrest the perpetrators of violence in Pune. Hindu group members were beating Dalits and the police were just watching from afar," said protester Sandeep Kamble.

"We are demanding the arrest of the culprits." The protest came a day after thousands of Dalits hurled stones and caused traffic disruption across Mumbai. Dalits have been ostracized by upper-caste Hindus for centuries for jobs they deemed as impure, such as garbage pickers and tannery workers....

Click here : Maharashtra bandh