Anti-Padmaavat protesters block traffic near Vashi toll plaza

Navi Mumbai: A massive

traffic

jam was caused on both sides of the

Vashi

toll plaza, along

Sion-Panvel road

, on Monday evening as a few unidentified youngsters burned tyres and hurled them on the main road while shouting slogans against the film,

'Padmaavat'

, which is due for release soon.
Navi Mumbai

police

officials rushed to the site to clear the traffic which was held for at least 25 minutes. Fire brigade also reached the site, close to Vashigaon, to extinguish the

burning tyres

and remove them from the spot.




The deputy commissioner of police (zone 1),

S Pathare

, told TOI: "We got to know that some persons had blocked the traffic for a while by burning tyres. However, they soon fled from the spot, and now we have normalized the traffic movement. At present, we are not sure as to what they were protesting about. Further inquiry will have to be done."

However, another motorist who was stuck in the jam on the Vashi creek bridge, told TOI: "I inquired with the workers at the Vashi toll plaza just after the problem started, and they told me that the unknown agitators had raised slogans against the film Padmaavat and its makers. This is really frustrating that the common people have to suffer like this."

A Navi Mumbai based social worker, Sundeep Sharma, who was also caught up in the snarl, said: "At around 7.55 pm, my car was stuck in the traffic jam on the Vashi creek bridge. I could only see fire and smoke about 1 km ahead towards the toll plaza. It is unfair and wrong to harass motorists like this for nearly 20 to 25 minutes by illegally blocking the busy road which connects Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. If anyone wants to protest against any film, they should do so at the right forum and not hold us as hostages for their cause."

Sharma further stated: "I think the electronic news media has given too much importance to this film (Padmaavat) and the fringe elements who are protesting against it. This is becoming like some long, outstretched soap opera over some historical period. The TV news media channels should not have given so much importance to these protesters who were even called to their studios during nightly news hour debates. Where do we draw a line and say Full Stop?"

Meanwhile, when asked how they will identify the culprits behind this illegal stoppage of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai-bound vehicular traffic, DCP Pathare said that they will have to study the CCTV camera images near the Vashi toll plaza in order to book the miscreants.