Facebook row: Shiv Sena bandh in Palghar over suspension of cops

A bandh was observed on Wednesday in Palghar town in adjoining Thane district following a call by Shiv Sena against suspension of two senior police officers in connection with the arrest of two girls over a Facebook post, criticising shutdown during Bal Thackeray's funeral.

Commercial establishments, schools and colleges at Palghar remained shut and there was no vehicular traffic in the town, party sources said.

No untoward incident was reported so far, police said.

The Palghar Bar Association had also called for a bandh in the courts today to protest the transfer of the local Judicial Magistrate First Class (JFMC) who had "promptly" granted bail to the two girls.

The girls Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan, both 21, were arrested after Dhada had lamented in a Facebook post the November 18 shutdown due to Thackeray's funeral. Shrinivasan had 'liked' the post.

Though Dhada didn't name Thackeray, the local Sena leader complained against the girls and police arrested the duo on November 19, sparking an outrage.

On November 20, police arrested the vandals who had damaged Shaheen's uncle's hospital on November 18, despite her removing the post and apologising that day itself.

Maharashtra government had yesterday suspended the two police officers, SP (Thane rural) Ravindra Sengaonkar and senior police inspector Shrikant Pingle.

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