Congress will stage a protest outside the governor’s residence in Mumbai at 11am. Also, eight BEST buses have been vandalised in the city since last night.
A day-long Maharashtra bandh is currently underway across the state against the killings of four farmers in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpuri Kheri on October 3, who were run over by a car that was allegedly being driven by Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister of state for home, Ajay Mishra. The bandh call was given by the three constituents of the state’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition: Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.
- The bandh, which began at midnight on October 11, seems to have evoked a mixed response thus far. Shops and establishments in many districts are shut. Local bus services operated by local urban bodies, too, are mostly off road. However, local train services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are functioning normally.
- Shiv Sena workers staged a road blockade in Kolhapur on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway, and were detained by the police. Party activists staged a blockade at Chembur in Mumbai as well.
- Congress will observe a “maun vrat” outside the Raj Bhavan at 11am. Party workers also protested at Solapur’s Mechanic Chowk, resulting in their detention.
- At least eight BEST buses have been vandalised in Mumbai since last night, a spokesperson of the bus provider said, adding that police protection has been sought for operation of services. Very few buses have operated since morning, the spokesperson further said.
- Traders at wholesale and fruit markets in Pune are supporting the agitation. Auto rickshaw unions, too, have backed the protests. However, state transport buses operated as usual though public bus services will begin only after 12 noon.
- Markets in Mumbai’s Hindmata, Dadar, Lalbaug and Parel remained closed. Navi Mumbai and Nashik AMPC markets are also fully shut.
