Shiv Sena activists assembled at the Reliance Energy office at Vakola in Santacruz on Monday to raise their voice against a proposed power tariff hike and then went on the rampage on the streets outside,provoking the Vakola police to resort to a lathicharge. The Vakola police,which registered a case of rioting,said the mob burnt a truck compelling the police to resort to a lathicharge. But Shiv Sena activists say the lathicharge was unprovoked. In the evening,a mob of around 400-500 Sena activists gathered at the Reliance Energy office with a representation against the proposed hike in tariff by the Reliance management,the cops said,adding that trouble started when the mob turned violent and the situation turned volatile. PSI A Palande of Vakola police station said,The mob burnt a truck because of which we had to lathicharge them. No one has been arrested so far. Asked whether any policemen were injured,Palande said,Some policemen suffered minor injuries,but no one has been admitted to hospital. Advocate and Sena MLC Anil Parab said,The morcha of Sena workers was peaceful and had been just protesting against the Reliance management when the police ordered the women workers to leave. When the women refused to go,the police started a lathicharge injuring around 12 to 15 people including women. We plan to take action against the police for ordering a lathicharge without any justification for it. Neelam Gore,a Sena spokesperson,said one Subhadra Kadam,a party worker was injured severely in the lathicharge and was taken to the KEM Hospital for treatment. Kadam was injured in the eye in the lathicharge and has been taken to KEM hospital. Though other party workers were also injured,we believe Kadam was the most severely injured. Police claim the mob turned volatile and pelted stones at the police and their vehicles. They also blocked the busy Western Express Highway for over 20 minutes. Several mediapersons were also injured in the clash. This affected traffic movement during the rush hour,the officials said. A Reliance Energy spokesperson said,The people from the Shiv Sena had come with their representation against the proposed 5 per cent hike of the electricity tariff. Their issues were discussed amicably and the people had left the office. However,we do not know what happened on the streets because of which the mob turned violent and the police arrived.
