Thane: The call for Thane bandh by the Sakal Maratha Morcha received mixed response on Monday. The bandh was to protest police lathicharge on Marathas in Jalna who were demanding reservation in matters of job and education.
Businessmen were forced to close the main market at Jambli Naka. Shops and hotels on major roads downed shutters. However, transport services were running smoothly. Since rickshaw services are also running to some extent, the passengers did not suffer much. There was no chaos in the city till afternoon as the police arrested the protesters who had forcibly shut shops and blocked traffic in many places.
Bandh Received Support From All Maratha Organisations
The Thane bandh was supported by all Maratha organisations and all party leaders. Since morning, office-bearers of every political party appealed to shopkeepers, hoteliers and other establishments to participate in the bandh. There was chaos when the MNS office-bearers blocked a bus going from Wagle depot to Thane railway station at Pachpakhadi. The Naupada police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Realising the possibility of the buses being targeted by the protesters, the Thane Transport Service had parked the AC buses in the depot since morning. The schools and colleges functioned smoothly.
Meanwhile, the police detained BJP vice president Mahesh Kadam, who was shouting slogans on the streets during the shutdown, while MNS city president Ravindra More and deputy president Pushkarraj Vikhare were detained by the police for violating the ban.
