The protester again attacked the city at various areas- the second day in a row after Pune riots. Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) calls for Maharashtra bandh.
Reports suggest that protesters stopped a train at Goregaon affecting services. However, the Mumbai police said that the traffic at Mela junction was cleared and the sea link was not clear to travel.
Protestors have stopped a train on Up local line (towards Churchgate) at Goregaon from about 13.40 hrs. All efforts are being made to evacuate them from the tracks. @drmbct @rpfwrbct
— Western Railway (@WesternRly) January 3, 2018
Traffic cleared at Mela Junction, Worli. One can travel towards sea link smoothly.
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 3, 2018
Dalit protesters had tried to block tracks at the Thane railway station earlier today in the morning. But soon, they have chased away and the traffic on the Central Railway line remained uninterrupted, claims railway officials.
Protesters also attempted to obstruct rail traffic on the Western line in suburban Goregaon, said a police official. Due to this, college authorities said today’s Class 11 exams at St Xavier’s College in South Mumbai have been cancelled.
Dr B R Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, who is also the leader of Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) has called for Maharashtra bandh today in order to show protest against the state government lack of responsibility to stop the violence at Bhima Koregaon village in Pune district two days ago. The leader also alleged that Hindu Ekta Aghadi was to blame for the violence. He went on to say that Maharashtra Democratic Front, Maharashtra Left Front and some 250 other organisations have supported the call for shutdown.
However, the state government had clarified already that it hasn’t declared a school holiday. Despite this, bus operators said that they won’t run school buses in Mumbai today.
“We can’t risk students’ safety and security. Will take a second decision at 11 am if we can run them in the second half, depending on the situation,” a School Bus Owners’ Association spokesperson said.
Jignesh Meavani, Dalit leader and Gujarat MLA, who was in Mumbai yesterday, allegedly claims that the attacks on Dalits in Pune district two days ago were carried out by supporters of the BJP and the members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“These organisations are modern-day Peshwas, representing Brahminism in its worst form. Two hundred years ago, our forefathers fought against the Peshwas. Today, Dalits of my generation are fighting against the new Peshwas,” he said.
“Why can’t Dalits peacefully commemorate the anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle? The attackers have resorted to such methods because they are scared of Dalit assertion,” he continued.
Last night, Pune police had said that they got a complaint against Mevani and Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid for their “provocative” speeches at an event in Pune on December 31.