Thane: Bharat bandh call was peaceful in Thane, Kalyan and Bhiwandi. The bandh was called by the Congress along with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and 19 other organisations for rising fuel prices. State-run transport buses such as Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT), Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) and State Transport (ST) – were not affected due to police deployment at all these places.
The presence of police helped prevent any untoward incident. Buses, autos and taxis plied normally in Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Thane since Monday morning. Avinash Jadhav, president of MNS, Thane district, undertook a bike rally and went around with MNS banner across Thane. He and his supporters forcefully shut down the shops in Thane city. Soeb Guddu, President of Congress in Bhiwandi city staged a protest over the hike in gas, petrol and diesel prices.