Felt shocked, distressed and helpless, say locals

Navi Mumbai: While it is too early to say what impact will the Maharashtra Bandh have on fulfilling the demands of those who called it on Wednesday, but common men on the streets as well as locals had to bear the brunt of mob violence and vandalism in many nodes, especially

Kalamboli

, Koparkhairane and Kharghar among others.

“I stay in Kalamboli for many years,. This was a rather bad case of rioting. None of the residents ventured out during the day," said Ishnarayan Singh, a local from sector 1E.

Residents of Koparkhairane had to wait till around 9.30pm before stepping out of their houses, as unruly mobs went around damaging vehicles, autos and shops.

Sector 6 resident Utsav Ganguly had stepped out in the early evening but could not return home. Instead, he had to take shelter at his friend’s house a few kilometer away due to the violence on the road.

Many homemakers decided to keep their children at home; those who didn’t had to rush hours before the school closing time to pick them up and return to the relative safety of their home.

The mob did not spare housing societies and even ATMs. Anwesha Ghosh, from Sughand Society Sector 7, Koparkhairane said, “Some protesters tried to break the main gate of our society and broke our CCTV cable.They pelted stones and damaged the ATM of the United Bank of India near Ashirwad hospital at sector 10. The residents staying in front of DMart as well as eyewitnesses were shocked to see it being vandalised and looted.

Though prominent politicians did not come out in the open to support the bandh in support of the Maratha quota movement, some local leaders did add their weight behind the violent protesters. Mohammad Siyad, a resident of Kharghar saw agitators forcibly shutting shops in his area. “I was standing with my friend who has a tiny stationery shop near Hirananandani Circle, The protesters simply barged in and vandalised it.They ransacked the shop even before he could down the shutter.”

Varad Sanadi (22), an Airoli resident, who missed her job interview in Pune due to rasta roko at Diva junction along Mulund-Airoli road which was being supported by local leaders cutting across from party lines. “I got stuck due to agitators who blocked the road and did now allow vehicles pass through. I literally stood and cried there for an hour,” said Sanadi a mass media graduate.

Senior inspector of Kalamboli, Macchindra Khade and PSI Santosh Pimple were injured in stone pelting at Kalamboli Circle. A few more cops have also been injured by the violent mob .

“At present, a meeting of our senior officials is going on at Kalamboli police station to asses the situation and file the CR on the rioting which took place in Kalamboli areas throughout the day," said a police official on Wednesday night.