VBA bandh: 6 arrested; bus vandalised

While six people were arrested and some were detained in the eastern suburbs, a bus was damaged in Chembur during the Maharashtra bandh called by the Vanchit Bahujan

While six people were arrested and some were detained in the eastern suburbs, a bus was damaged in Chembur during the Maharashtra bandh called by the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) on Friday. The bandh was called to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the falling economy.

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Although VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar claimed the bandh was a success and people voluntarily stayed away from work, the shutdown was confined to areas with a strong Dalit presence.

Security cover was imposed at communally sensitive pocket of Ramabai Nagar in Ghatkopar off the eastern express highway (EEH) since Friday morning. Three cases were registered at Ghatkopar police station and one in Pant Nagar police station for obstructing traffic and unlawful assembly. Pant Nagar police arrested six persons. As a preventive measure, police detained a few protesters as well. “Situation remained peaceful. We detained few persons who were later released,” said Akhileshkumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, zone 7, who was stationed at Ramabai colony.

In Chembur, a BEST bus which operates on route number 362, was pelted with stones around 9.15 am. The bus’s windshield was damaged and the driver, Vilas Dabhade, 53, was injured. No passengers were injured.

“The bandh was a resounding success as both office-goers as well as traders voluntarily opted to stay at home. Even taxis and rickshaws were off the road early in the morning,” said Ambedkar. He said that unlike other shutdowns, VBA activists did not indulge in violence.

However, VBA activists allegedly forced the shopkeepers in Mulund, Airoli, Ghatkopar, Govandi, Wadala and Chembur to shut their establishments. A VBA activist, who was forcing the shopkeepers to close their shutters at Barket Ali Nagar at Wadala, defended his decision stating it was being done to protest against the present policies of the government. “Shopkeepers should understand that we are undertaking this agitation for them and hence they need to participate,” said an activist on condition of anonymity. Transport services functioned normally across the city.

In other areas, there was no such shutdown. “I am not aware of any such bandh. It was a normal business day for me,” said a shopkeeper at Hindmata market in Dadar, just a stone’s throw from the VBA headquarters.

The BJP has called the bandh a flop. “People will only participate when they are convinced of the purpose of the bandh. They trust the steps taken by the Modi government on the economy,” said BJP spokesperson Madhu Chavan.