MP Gajanan Babar, MLC Neelam Gorhe and more than 250 party activists arrested; public meeting held in front of police station
MP Gajanan Babar, MLC Neelam Gorhe and more than 250 party activists arrested; public meeting held in front of police stationIn spite of large-scale police bandobast, Shiv Sena leaders protesting against reality show Bigg Boss 4 managed to yesterday reach the heart of Lonavala city, where they burnt the Pakistani flag and even addressed a public meeting ufffd right in front of the police station.
Though permission had been denied for the meeting, the Shiv Sena got away with it right under the nose
of the police.
The Shiv Sena had called for a daylong bandh yesterday in Lonavala city.
Bigg Boss 4 is being shot in a studio in Karjat and the Shiv Sena has held small and large protests almost everyday for the past few days over the inclusion of Pakistanis in the reality show.
At Bigg Boss studioZilla Parishad member Asha Buchke and some of her activists also managed to reach the Bigg Boss studio around 2 pm, but were taken into custody before they could enter the premises.
Party activists also staged a road blockade at five places, including Nigdi, Chakan, Dehu Road and on the Expressway.
Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Gajanan Babar, Member of Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe, party leaders Machindra Kharade, Shreerang Barne and several others along with more than 250 activists were arrested by the Pune Rural Police and taken to Pashan.
Police efforts The Lonavala police had issued notices to 200 local Shiv Sena activists and leaders, denied permission to 24 party leaders and invoked the Bombay Police Act from Sunday night to prevent untoward incidents.
"Six hundred policemen, including State Reserve Police Force and Special Task Force of the Rural Police, were deployed in the entire city and no untoward incident was reported," said Additional Superintendent of Police Ramnath Pokle. "One MP, three MLAs and more than 250 Sena partymen were arrested during the agitation."
Gorhe claimed the demonstration was successful.
"Sena's agitation was 100 percent successful even after desperate attempts by the state government and police to suppress our voice," said Gorhe. "In keeping with party leader Uddhav Thackeray's instructions, our agitation will continue."
The police had put up several check-posts on roads leading to Lonavala to prevent Shiv Sena leaders from reaching the city, but the leaders still managed to sneak in.
Babar first managed to reach the public meeting spot about 11 am and was taken into custody. About 2.30 pm Gorhe and her supporters reached the city and addressed the meeting a stone's throw from the police station.
