Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray condemned the attack outside Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar's residence and directed the administration to take action against those who ignited the violence.
A group of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workers tried to enter Sharad Pawar's residence and held a protest by hurling stones and slippers at his place.
"I had instructed the Home Minister to take stern action against those who incited violence. No one should act in a way that endangers law and order in response to this heinous incident," Thackeray said.
He said that attacking leaders or their residences have never been the culture of Maharashtra and the state has never ignored their demands despite continuous agitation.
"The state government is taking all possible steps for the benefit of ST employees. The state government had never ignored their demands. We have given as many financial and service benefits as possible out of the feeling that the employees of the corporation are ours," the Chief Minister stated.
Thackeray also said that the Mumbai High Court has been informed about the decisions taken by the state government for ST employees and it is also keeping an eye on all those cases and have given its verdict in this regard.
"Information about this was submitted to the Mumbai High Court from time to time. The court also took note of this and asked the agitating employees of ST to return to work. While the news was reaching us that the staff had also welcomed it, a mob suddenly reached the residence of senior leader Sharad Pawar this afternoon and shouted slogans and hurled stones and slippers at his residence," he added.
Further, Thackeray assured that the state government will always be with the ST workers and their families for their welfare.
Mumbai Police have arrested as many as 105 people hours after hundreds of workers of the state road transport corporation held a protest outside Sharad Pawar's residence.
The Police have registered cases against 105 people under different sections of IPC in connection with the protest outside the house of Pawar, the seniormost leader in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The protest comes a day after the Bombay High Court asked the striking workers of the transport corporation to resume duty by April 22.
MSRTC staffers have been agitating since late October demanding a merger of the corporation with the state government, which would give them better salaries and greater job security.
