Violence erupts over six-seater ban

pune: in a violent fallout of the proposed ban on six-seater rickshaws in the city, a mob besieged and pelted stones at the ancestral home of mayor datta gaikwad at aundh around midnight on wednesday. a couple of hours later, another group of protestors set ablaze two pune municipal transport (pmt) buses at the katraj depot. offences of rioting have been registered by the police against 50 six-seater rickshaw drivers and also against mr gaikwad and his three supporters, who allegedly smashed the windscreens of some of the sixseaters.in his complaint to the chatushrungi police, the mayor's brother, balasaheb gaikwad, said the mob, which arrived in some 50 six-seaters at around 11.15 p.m. on wednesday, surrounded the gaikwad residence and started shouting slogans and giving speeches against the mayor. the protestors eventually began pelting stones at the house. however, in a counter-complaint to the police, rickshaw-driver sandeep pawar (32) has stated around 200 rickshaws were parked around mr gaikwad's house to protest against the pmc's decision. he alleged that the rickshaw-drivers were leaving when the mayor and his three supporters came there and started abusing and manhandling some of them. he further alleged that the mayor's supporters, who were armed with sticks, smashed the windscreen of some rickshaws and abused women who were accompanying the protestors. no arrests have been made in either case. around 2.30 a.m. on thursday, some six-seater rickshaw drivers allegedly burned down two pmt buses parked outside the katraj bus depot, causing damages worth rs 90,000. katraj bus depot manager vishnupant chavan in his complaint said a few men poured kerosene on the buses and set them on fire. however, speaking to reporters unofficially, several corporators claimed that the attack on the mayor's home was the handiwork of the pimpri-chinchwad sixseater rickshaw union backed by shiv sena mla gajanan babar. mr babar, however, refuted the charge saying, "it is true we had planned to take out a morcha to the residence of all pmc corporators. however, this was to be done this afternoon. i do not know who took out the morcha at the mayor's residence last midnight." while the mayor's brother and other relatives stay in the ancestral bungalow at gaikwadnagar in aundh, the mayor has recently shifted to a flat in a nearby apartment. asked about the complaint lodged against his supporters, mayor gaikwad said some of his supporters may have "retaliated" against the alleged stone-pelting. stones pelted at mayor's ancestral home mayhem at midnight: the charred interior of one of the two pmt buses outside the katraj depot, which were set on fire by a mob in protest of the six-seater rickshaw ban in the early hours of thursday. unfazed by the violence over the proposed ban on six-seater rickshaws on major thoroughfares in the city, municipal commissioner t.c. benjamin has reiterated the civic administration's resolve to implement the ban in a phased manner. "the pune municipal corporation (pmc) will not be cowed down by such pressure tactics,"mr benjamin said while addressing a pmc general body meeting on thursday.he, however, agreed to hold a meeting with six-seater rickshaw unions on november 28. meanwhile, cutting across party lines, corporators condemned the violence by six-seater rickshaw drivers outside mayor datta gaikwad's ancestral home at aundh and the torching of two pmt buses around midnight on wednesday. mr benjamin revealed that he too had received a threat that six-seater rickshaw owners were planning a morcha to his official residence on thursday. he said he had told police commissioner ranjitsingh sharma of the threat. "i have requested mr sharma to step up security measures to avoid victimisation of any officer or elected member," he added. the civic chief said that if the six-seaters had wanted to complain against the ban, they should have held talks with civic officials instead of resorting to violence.