Traffic Update: Citizens find it difficult to book Ola and Uber cabs amid protests and rail roko at many places in Mumbai suburbs. Cab aggregators charge hefty amount for rides.
The bus service towards Pune's Baramati and Satara and inter-state bus services from Karnataka-Maharashtra have been temporarily suspended till further order as a precautionary measure.
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To prevent further damage the administration has also suspended internet services in Aurangabad.
Rajya Sabha was abruptly adjourned today till noon as several opposition members, including those from the Congress and BSP, sought to raise the issue of caste violence in Maharashtra.
Commuters have been left stranded due to lack of mode of transport in the state today. Scores of people were witnessed waiting near Thane's Vartak Nagar.
Commuters are advised to avoid Kalanagar & MMRDA Junction for some time due to Rasta roko.
Metro services between Ghatkopar and Airport Road station temporarily affected; running normal between Airport Road and Versova; expected to resume in the next 15 minutes.
Railway tracks have been evacuated and train operations have resumed at Nallasopara/Virar from 10.30 hrs.
Mumbai Dabbawala association on Tuesday decided not to run its delivery service, fearing the law and order issues in the city.
Confirming the news, Association head Subhash Talekar said means of transportation difficult for delivery of tiffins on time during bandh .
Groups of Dalit activists jumped on the railway tracks, shouting slogans and waving flags to attempt a rail-blockade at Thane and Virar stations in Palghar, but were prevented by the security forces.
In Mumbai, colleges and schools opened as usual but schoolbuses stayed off roads as a precaution. One private school bus was stoned in Chembur but there were no injuries.
Though many taxi-auto rickshaw unions have supported the shutdown, the city's lifeline, the suburban trains and the BEST (Bombay Electric Supply And Transport) buses services were plying near-normally.
Today's Class 11 exams at St Xavier's College in South Mumbai have been cancelled, college authorities said.
"Due to Maharashtra bandh today, we have decided to push our 'My Birthday Song' trailer release to tomorrow January 4, 2018. Thank you," tweeted the movie's producer and actor Sanjay Suri.
Even a song launch event for "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety" was cancelled "owing to the current situation in the city".
Section 144 has been imposed in Maharashtra's Thane area till midnight of January 4, in the wake of the statewide band called by the dalit outfits, protesting against the Bhima-Koregaon violence.
The protestors even halted the trains at Thane railway station pertaining to the same.
"Few protestors tried to disrupt railway services at Thane, but were immediately cleared by RPF and GRP officials. Services are running uninterrupted on Central Railway as of now" says Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Central Railway.
Huge security forces have been deployed in Ghatkopar's Ramabai Colony and Eastern Express Highway to keep a check on any case of violence.
Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader and Dr B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar have called for Maharashtra bandhtoday to protest the state government's "failure" to stop the violence at Bhima Koregaon village in Pune district two days ago.
#Maharashtra: Large number of protesters have occupied the railway tracks at Nallasopara Station, disrupting rail t... https://t.co/BuYekMWInx
— ANI (@ANI) 1514956284000
Ambedkar alleged that Hindu Ekta Aghadi was responsible for the violence.
In Pune, cases were registered by the Pimpri police against Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, who head the Hindu Ekta Aghadi and Shivraj Pratishthan respectively, for allegedly inciting the violence. The two organisations had opposed the celebration of "British victory" in the battle.
Mumbai Police detained more than 100 people over different locations in relation to violence. Jet Airways, Air India have waived off cancellation charges from Mumbai due to ongoing volatile situation in the state.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the Bombay High Court into the Pune violence, and appealed for calm. He said it needed to be ascertained if there was a conspiracy behind yesterday's violence.
Fadnavis said a Rs 10 lakh compensation would be given to kin of the youth killed and his death would be probed by the CID.
BSP Supremo Mayawati blamed BJP for the violence.
Yeh jo ghatna ghati hai yeh roki ja sakti thi. Sarkaar ko wahan suraksha ka uchit prabandh karna chahiye tha. Wahan... https://t.co/zhb2uocRuB
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP)1514903133000
Rahul Gandhi also slammed BJP-RSS for 'fascist anti-dalit vision'.
A central pillar of the RSS/BJP's fascist vision for India is that Dalits should remain at the bottom of Indian soc... https://t.co/nBpwBJhhbL
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG)1514893597000
Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani appealed for peace.
Maharashtra government must ensure rule of law. I appeal to the people of Maharashtra to maintain peace.
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80)1514897828000
Local train services on the Harbour line were affected between Chembur and Govandi as the protesters blocked the railway tracks.
Maharashtra state transport buses were also attacked. A total 134 MSRTC buses were damaged during today's violence.
The central railway had to suspended suburban services between Kurla and Vashi on its harbour corridor and ran a special services between CSMT-Kurla and Vashi-Panvel section.
Maharashtra: Security heightened in Mumbai's Chembur #BhimaKoregaonViolence https://t.co/WGAIDaKJX7
— ANI (@ANI) 1514890979000
As a precautionary measure, schools were shut in Mumbai.
One person was killed on Monday when the the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune district turned violent. The clash broke our between villagers from Koregaon Bhima, Pabal and Shikrapur and a large group of people celebrating the January 1, 1818, victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II's army in Koregaon Bhima.
Dalit leaders commemorate the British victory, as it is believed that soldiers from the Mahar community -- then considered untouchable -- were part of the East India Company's forces.
However, some right-wing groups in Pune had expressed opposition to the celebrations of the "British victory". The violence had erupted after a local group and some members of the crowd on its way to the memorial had an argument over some issues.
Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, has announced a state-wide bandh tomorrow as a protest against the police inaction.
Activist and grandson of BR Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar has given call for a Maharashtra bandh tomorrow... https://t.co/9yWd70Z9MG
— ANI (@ANI) 1514894605000
"Request will be made to SC for judicial inquiry in Koregaon violence matter and CID inquiry will also be conducted on the death of the youth. 10 lakh compensation for victim's kin," Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said.
