Angry locals who suffered heavy losses and damage to houses and other establishments want police to act strictly against protesters
Screen grab of CCTV footage of a mob attacking a shop in Koparkhairane
A day after the bandh called by the Maratha Kranti Morcha, on Thursday, the Navi Mumbai police filed three cases against protesters and suspended most of the Internet services in Koparkhairane, Kalamboli and nearby areas. While the bandh had been called off in Mumbai around 2.30 pm, it had continued in other areas.
The Navi Mumbai police are doing a panchnama and filing complaints of residents who suffered heavy losses because of the stone-pelting and other damage by protesters. Angry villagers from Koparkhairane, whose houses and establishments were damaged, had come out onto roads on Wednesday night. The police had then convinced them of their presence and asked them to restart their routines on Thursday.
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Officers said many protesters were not from Navi Mumbai; so they are also collecting mobile and CCTV footage to identify and arrest them. Protesters had damaged offices, houses, restaurants and vehicles, including three high-end cars of Shivram Patil, Koparkhairane corporator.
'Act against protestors'
Sandip Patil, a restaurant owner said, "The police must arrest the culprits who didn't care about peoples' hard earned money and destroyed their belongings. On Wednesday, protesters entered my restaurant, though it was closed, and broke benches, glasses and the fridge. They also took all the cold drink bottles and fled."
'We had to use force'
Koparkhairane senior inspector Shivaji Awte said, "We have collected some of the stones which protesters pelted. We suspect they are not from Koparkhairane but from the railway tracks."
Navi Mumbai CP Hemant Nagrale said, "On July 25, the bandh started around 11 am and agitators stopped traffic on the Sion-Panvel highway and other roads at 11 locations. Vashi toll naka and Kalamboli junctions were the main two points for the agitations. More than 2,000 protesters had gathered at each point.
"At Kalamboli junction and Koparkhairane, agitators turned violent and started pelting stones at vehicles and policemen, and set two police vehicles afire. So we had to use force and fire tear gas shells, lathi charge and fire bullets in the air to disperse them. The highway and other roads were blocked for over six hours." Eight police officers and 12 personnel were injured. Seven people were injured in the lathi charge and firing.
Two persons were injured in the (rubber bullet) firing at Kalamboli junction. They were identified as Narayan Baban Gayake, 25, a resident of New Panvel, and Dattatraya Aangad Waghmare, 32, a container driver. The police said Waghmare has undergone an operation and is critical.
Also read: Maratha Morcha: Navi Mumbai cops rescue school kids but fail to save their own chowky
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