MNS activists continue to vandalise shops, vehicles

Day two of the violence in protest of MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s arrest saw the protesters continue their rampage vandalising BEST buses and auto rickshaws besides targeting shops.

Day two of the violence in protest of MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s arrest saw the protesters continue their rampage vandalising BEST buses and auto rickshaws besides targeting shops.

Nine BEST buses were vandalised by MNS party workers. “Nine buses were damaged on Wednesday but there were no injuries unlike the incidents on Tuesday,” said A S Tamboli, spokesperson, BEST undertaking. “Stone pelting was reported in areas like Wadala, Chunabhatti, Kurla, Mahim, Dahisar etc which damaged windscreens and widows,” Tamboli added. On Tuesday, 115 BEST buses were vandalised that led to an estimated loss of Rs 1.5 lakh.

In Samata Nagar, Kandivali a private bus belonging to General Travels was burnt at around 11 am on Wednesday. In Borivali, seven auto rickshaws that were parked at a plot in Gorai were burnt by protestors causing an estimated loss of Rs 1.63 lakh. The Borivali police have registered a case based on the complaint by Ravi Shankar Verma, one of the affected rickshaw drivers.

The Bangurnagar police have registered cases against one Chandrakant Parte and Shyam Udmale and two others for setting two auto rickshaws on fire causing a loss of Rs 10,000 each. According to eyewitnesses the accused were throwing burning cloth balls at the auto rickshaws parked outside the Goregaon bus depot.

Several areas in Shivaji Park saw instances where protestors forced shopkeepers to bring down the shutters and vandalised the shops which remained open. Female MNS workers – Rashmi Malkar, Manisha Pawaskar, Sunita Jadhav, Prabha Thibe- were arrested by the Shivaji Park police for forcing shop owners on the N C Kelkar road to shut their shops. On the complaint of Eknath Gore, one of the shop owners who faced the ire of the activists, the police made the above arrests. One Dipak Gudekar’s shop at Ganesh Gavade road in Shivaji Park was vandalised and the glass panes of his display window were broken. He was admitted to the KEM hospital with a hand injury.

In Bhandup, a 50-year-old shop owner Lalji Prasad Yadav died while he was shutting his shop after MNS protestors ordered him to do so. He suddenly collapsed while pulling down the shutters. According to senior police inspector, Bhandup Prakash Jadhav there were no injuries on his body. “Whether it’s a heart attack or not will be certain only after the post mortem report. We are conducting an inquiry into his death and are also yet to arrest any of the protestors,” said Jadhav.