Some 20 Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists were arrested in Thane for sitting on a 'dharna' demanding permission from authorities for traditional 'Dahi Handi' celebrations which have been banned in view of the coronavirus pandemic, police said. They were released later.

The activists, led by the party's Thane-Palghar unit chief Avinash Jadhav, said they would, irrespective of the police ban, celebrate the festival, which involves the formation of human pyramids by youngsters to break curd-filled pots kept at a height. The popular festival organized during Gokulashtami, which attracts a lot of crowds, is to be celebrated on August 31.