Bhayandar: Normal life came to a screeching halt throughout Mira Road and some parts of Bhayandar, as the Opposition’s ‘Bharath Bandh’ supported by the Maharashtra Nav-Nirman Sena (MNS) to protest against rising prices of petrol, diesel and LPG, evoked a good response across the twin-city. After operating for a few hours in the morning, autos and the public transport buses went off the roads. Most of the private education institutions, commercial and industrial establishments remained closed. Bandh supporters were seen moving in groups appealing shopkeepers to keep their establishment closed. The local Congress unit had installed small pandal’s at various locations to display banners highlighting comparative fuel prices.
Apart from stray incidents of burning tyres by bandh supporters to restrict traffic movement at Golden Nest circle in Bhayandar and Shanti Nagar area in Mira Road, no other major untoward incident was reported as the day passed off peacefully amidst tight security over by the Thane (rural) police.
