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Bandh evokes lukewarm response in Pune
Twenty youth were taken into custody after their tried to stage a rasta roko early in the morning on at Dandekar bridge. They were later released after a warning
The city remained largely unaffected with public transport operating as scheduled, this despite the statewide bandh called by the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), on Friday.
Twenty youth were taken into custody after their tried to stage a rasta roko early in the morning on at Dandekar bridge. They were later released after a warning.
Ambedkar claimed the bandh was successful and peacefully implemented across the state.
“Those who indulged in incidents of stone pelting were anti-social elements and did not belong to VBA. They were the members of other organisations with vested interests ,” he said. He further explained that the act was affecting all the communities at a time when the country had become economically bankrupt under PM Narendra Modi’s regime.
Areas in Pune Camp, Bund Garden road, Boat Club road, Dandekar bridge, Kasewadi slums, Bhavani Peth, Kondhwa and NIBM remained shut for a brief time and then, reopened.
According to the city police, no untoward incident was reported and the bandh was relatively peaceful. A large posse of policemen was positioned across the city to curb unlawful activities and keep a watch on anti social elements.
Santosh Gaikwad, social activist, who participated in the bandh, said, “Our message was to tell the people that we condemn this draconian act which is against the people of the country. This is a most dangerous act which will reduce human beings to prisoners and will divide the country on communal lines. We have decided to file court cases and educate the country about the dangers of the CAB-NRC,” he said.
Wasim Khan, a resident of Camp said, “The citizens are protesting through bands and ‘shaheen baug’ camps to warn the government that it is going against the constitution of the country and violation the fundamental principles enshrined the constitution ,” he said.
