The nationwide bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies against the recent hike in petrol price threw life out of gear in Mumbai, Pune and other cities of Maharashtra.
In Mumbai, most of the offices remained shut. Those which remained opened were working with less than half of their staff. At the State Secretariat, most of the staff did not report for work. Schools and colleges were also closed.
Across the city no major incident of violence was reported. However, some stone-pelting incidents were reported in the suburbs. At Bandra in the western suburbs, protestors threw burning tyres on the highway in an effort to block traffic. But their efforts proved futile as the police immediately swung into action and removed the tyres.
Minor injuries
The protestors damaged windshields and window panes of 97 BEST undertaking buses, in which two drivers and three passengers also suffered minor injuries.
In other parts of Maharashtra, activists pelted stones at 20 buses in Pune and 14 in Nagpur. They also stopped some buses on the Satara highway by blocking the road.
In Pune, commercial establishments were shut and corporate offices had thin attendance.
In tier-3 cities such as Dhule and Jalgaon, the hartal was successful with people voluntarily keeping away from work.
The President of Khandesh Industries Development Association, Mr Bharat Agarwal, said that in Dhule, people observed bandh willingly. There was no coercion from any political party, he said.
Compensation
Meanwhile, the Home Minister of Maharashtra, Mr R.R. Patil, said that the Government will press charges against those indulging in violence during the bandh. It will extract compensation from them, he said.
The BJP's Mumbai Unit President, Mr Raj Purohit, addressing the media, said that the party had not asked it workers to indulge in any kind of violence. Those who are indulging in violence are anti-social elements, who want to tarnish the image of the party, he said.
On the issue of paying compensation for the damage to the public property, Mr Purohit said that the party should not be held responsible for the damages. As it asked its workers to observe the bandh in a peaceful manner, “compensation should be obtained from those, who have indulged in violence,” he said.
“People who are already reeling under the impact of the price rise actively took part in the bandh and have shown their clear displeasure over the Congress-led UPA Government's decision to hike petrol price,” said the State BJP President, Mr Sudhir Mungantiwar.
rahulw@thehindu.co.in