Maratha stir: Fear of high court ire may rein in activists, discourage violence

MUMBAI: Maratha groups said Thursday’s protest in Mumbai would be peaceful. Amol Jadhav Rao of Sakal Maratha Kranti Morcha said at a press meet in Dadar that they will implement a “non-violent bandh” from 8am to 6pm, with essential services like vehicles carrying vegetables and milk and schools and colleges being exempted. In Thane, Maratha groups said they would assemble at six junctions “to pay homage to martyrs from the community” and “condemn the state by wearing black armbands” but there would be “no sloganeering, no rally and no rasta roko.”
Sources said the fact that protesters are facing numerous police cases, CM’s Devendra Fadnavis’s statement that violence would not be tolerated, and fear of attracting a contempt notice from Bombay high court if the protest turns violent may keep the groups from creating much trouble.
The HC had on Tuesday asked the community to refrain from violence. Jadhav Rao said no one would be allowed to call off the bandh before 6pm. The statement was seen as further highlighting internal differences as it was a reference to the Maratha Kranti Morcha’s decision to end the July 25 bandh in the afternoon after large-scale rioting in Thane and Navi Mumbai. But Jadhav Rao played down the differences, saying, “Our goal is the same.”
Pawar pointed to lack of coordination among groups. “We want a peaceful protest. We have previously seen that anti-social elements tried to spark violence in Navi Mumbai and Chakan, giving us a bad name,” he said. Some groups wanted to take an aggressive stand, he noted.
“They protest their way, but we will not support them,” Pawar said. Officials present at a review meet held by the state chief secretary said security arrangements are in place. The state has also written to the Centre seeking Central forces’ aid. A senior police officer said personnel from Riot Control Police and State Reserve Police Force would be available and no one would be allowed to force shopkeepers to down shutters. MSRTC will not run any of its 19,000 services.
Depots at Parel, Dadar and Kurla-Nehru Nagar may be deserted. Many MSRTC buses were damaged during earlier protests. The Shivneri service from Mumbai to Pune will be off roads. There was some confusion earlier in the day over a holiday for schools. But state education commissioner Vishal Solanki told TOI late on Wednesday that schools have been asked to follow directives issued by the respective district collectors.
(Inputs from Vinmarata Borwankar, Somit Sen, B B Nayak and Manoj Badgeri)