“I heard about some clashes at Goregaon and other places in the city. I am confused whether to wait for the situation to calm down or to rush as it may get worse later in the evening?” said Kapila Dixit (24) who works in a private bank at Dadar. The trains were jam-packed and the commuters were seen pushing and quarreling among themselves with little space in overcrowded compartments.

Even owners of canteens and shops downed shutters fearing violence. “I was planning to continue selling tea but who will be here to drink? Moreover, I am over with the supplies of milk and I can't purchase it now as the shops are shut,” said Ramanand Kumar (52) at Dadar railway station.

Passengers from long-distance trains were seen running with their luggage and competing with other commuters to get into a few cabs at stations. For the porters, it meant brisk business with commuters dumping their luggage on them to get to a taxi as quickly as possible.

With fewer taxis plying on the road, office-goers had difficulties to get to stations. Shabbir Atif, a cabbie from Jaunpur who has been driving in the city for the last 30 years said, “It feels like what we felt during 1993 riots.” Though he added that the situation was not as grave as the 1993 riots, the strong feeling of insecurity had gripped cab drivers.

Mumbai Taximen’s Union general secretary A L Quadros said, “There are fewer taxis on the roads fearing violence after Thackeray’s arrest. Taxis were attacked by miscreants at Gokuldham, Vakola and near Khar subway in the evening.”

According to Mushtaq Qureshi, president of City Taxi Union, most cabbies had stayed indoors since Wednesday morning as they were the “soft targets. As the taxis and its drivers were the first to be attacked by workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena most of them did not come out. While those who came out to do business did not ply in areas considered the strongholds of the party,” he said.

BEST buses also bore the brunt of angry protesters. According to BEST spokesperson A S Tamboli, two buses were attacked at Santacruz and Mulund. “There were no injuries in the two incidents. We have taken precautionary measures and installed protective grills on the windows of the buses,” he said.