About 30 Shiv Sena activists including MLA Subhash Desai were arrested for protesting against power tariff hike announced by companies including Reliance Energy, police said. "We have arrested 30 activists including Desai from Goregoan for protesting against power tariff hike," DCP Sanjay Banerjee told PTI.
Sena workers torched three trucks outside Reliance Energy office in suburban Kandivali and Goregaon. The western express highway was jammed due to the protest.
More police force has been deployed to control the crowd and avoid any untoward incident, Banerjee said.
"Today's agitation was the first such protest and if the power companies do not heed to our demand, we will intensify the agitation," Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.
Meanwhile, party's mouthpiece 'Saamana' has appealed to the consumers not to pay the "inflated" electricity bills.
"Reliance Energy, BEST, Tata and Mahavitaran are looting people with exorbitant electricity rates and Sena is protesting against these companies," the paper said adding Maharashtra government should intervene into the matter and stay the hike.