Violence erupts in Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai
Parts of Maharashtra and Mumbai witnessed violence during the bandh (shutdown) called by several Maratha groups on Wednesday for reservation in government jobs and education. Maratha groups vandalised several BEST buses, blocked railway tracks and roads as they tried to enforce the day-long bandh. The important Mumbai-Pune Expressway was also blocked by the protesters.
In Aurangabad, a man, Jagannath Sonawane, who had consumed a poisonous substance yesterday during the protest, died today at a local government hospital.
Highlights:
07:35 pm: BJP planning to remove Devendra Fadnavis from CM post, claims Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
07:30 pm: Violence erupts once again in Kalamboli
05:30 pm: Situation under control in Kalamboli after violence, police remove protesters from highway
05:25 pm: Train services between Thane and Vashi on Trans-Harbour line, stalled due to bandh, resume
05:12 pm: Violence erupts in Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai, police unleash tear gas
05:00 pm: Ready for discussions with protestors, government committed to giving reservation to Marathas, says CM Devendra Fadnavis
04:00 pm: Sion-Panvel highway, blocked by protesters at Kalamboli junction and Vashi, has been cleared now.
02:44 pm: Maratha Kranti Morcha calls off Mumbai bandh, reports news agency ANI. They were protesting over demand for Maratha reservation in government jobs and education.
02:37 pm:
01:58 pm: Internet services have been suspended in Navi Mumbai to check the spread of false message during bandh called by Maratha groups demanding reservation in government jobs and education.
01:38 pm: I support Maratha reservation demand. I appeal protesters to protest peacefully. We need to make a law in Parliament and raise reservation cap from 50 per cent to 75 per cent, will also raise this issue in NDA: Union Minister and Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athawale
12:45 pm:
12:01 pm: There is no impact on railway services in Pune, all trains are plying normally, says Pune railway PRO
11:57 am: Buses originating from Mumbai Central depot have been cancelled. Buses which were already on the road have been stopped a Panvel depot.
11:42 am: WATCH: Maharashtra Mumbai bandh latest news video
10:45 am: Clashes break out in Udgir in Latur district as a group of people try to enforce Maharashtra bandh. Police on the spot.
10:25 am: Maratha Kranti Morcha activists block railway track in Thane affecting movement of local trains.
10:06 am:
10:05 am: A protester identified as Jagannath Sonavne, 55, who attempted suicide by consuming poison in Aurangabad's Deogaon Rangari on Tuesday, dies in a hospital.
WATCH: Maratha Kranti Morcha workers block local train in Thane during Maharashtra bandh
09:53 am: Protesters stop fast local train near Jogeshwari. Local trains towards Church Gate running late by 15 minutes
09:47 am: About 186 state transport buses have been vandalised across the state during the ongoing shutdown called by Maratha groups so far resulting in loss of nearly Rs 60 lakh.
09:34 am: We are not blocking any road. We are carrying out a peaceful protest. We have told our workers that there should be no inconvenience to the police or government due to our protest. We are asking people to shut down their shops, says Maratha Kranti Morcha
09:33 am:
09:32 am: Protesters forcing shopkeepers to down shutters in Bandra.
09:20 am: All school, colleges, markets are open in Mumbai. Meanwhile, internet services, which were stopped following large-scale violence on Tuesday, have been restored in Aurangabad.
09:01 am:
08:35 am: Two Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses come under attack by protesters near Navi Mumbai's Ghansoli. BEST bus services from Airoli to Vashi have been completely stopped today in the light of Maharashtra bandh.
08:01 am: Maratha groups are demanding 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
08:00 am: Quotas for Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, has been a hugely contentious issue.
07:57 am:
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil has blamed CM Devendra Fadnavis for the stir taking a violent turn and demanded his resignation.
Fadnavis had cancelled his visit to a temple in Pandharpur protesters threatened to disrupt the event.
Despite assurances from Fadnavis, nothing concrete has been done till now, community leaders have claimed.
WATCH: Maharashtra bandh turns violent
