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Near total bandh in Mumbai

The bandh in Mumbai city called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Shiv Sena was total as most people preferred to stay at home rather than attempt to go to work.

But to be doubly certain, bandh supporters placed obstacles on the tracks to prevent movement of trains, ordered shopkeepers to down shutters in some places and even prevented passengers from travelling to the airport and those arriving from reaching their destination in the city.

Blockades were reported on the Andheri-Kurla Road and the Sahar Road leading to the international airport. The few policemen on duty found it impossible to stop the crowds from intimidating and turning away vehicles.

Railway authorities said some outstation trains may be delayed owing to disruptions by bandh enforcers who disrupted operations in Mulund, Dombivli, Kalyan (Central line), Andheri (Western line) and some other stations.

Local trains are running, but a little late, they said.

Some instances of raasta roko (road blockade) have been reported in the western suburbs of Malad and Bandra.

BEST, which transports nearly 4.5 million (45 lakh) commuters every day in Mumbai, was operating only a skeletal bus service. Most of the autorickshaw and taxi drivers have kept their vehicles off the roads.

Undaunted, some people have taken out their personal vehicles to reach their work places.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had on Wednesday called for a nationwide bandh saying the terrorist attack on the Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, had 'crossed all limits'.

Most schools and colleges had announced a holiday after receiving news of the bandh call.

Mumbai police officials had on Wednesday met leaders of various communities and urged them to exhort their members to maintain peace on Thursday.

The police have also urged people not to succumb to rumour mongering and to immediately contact the police control room to avail of any information or in case of any emergency.

PTI adds
Stone pelting on buses were reported from Ghatkopar, Malad, Govandi, Byculla, Airoli, Gorai and Andheri, BEST authorities said adding that the activists damaged some glass panes and also deflated tyres of some buses.

At Andheri and Dadar railway stations, some persons forcefully evacuated passengers wishing to travel by trains, squatted on the railway tracks and climbed atop the engines to enforce the bandh.

With inputs from agencies

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