Agencies Posted online: Thursday, November 30, 2006 at 1029 hours IST Updated: Thursday, November 30, 2006 at 1920 hours IST
Nasik, November 30: Three persons were killed and over 60 injured during protests across Maharashtra following the alleged desecration of B R Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur, DGP P S Pasricha said.
Violence has also spread to Gujarat. Surat's Pandesara area shops were shut down and one bus was stoned.
Curfew was imposed in many parts including Nanded and Pimpri area in Pune, which witnessed violent protests following the desecration of the statue on Wednesday.
In Nanded town of Marathwada region, authorities imposed curfew from 5 am today as a "precautionary" measure in view of yesterday's violent protests in the town.
The curfew would continue till 7 pm Thursday, Nanded Superintendent of Police Fatehsinh Patil told PTI over phone.
Curfew has also been imposed in Pimpri area of Pune following violent protests, state police control sources said.
There were also reports of trains being stopped near Pune by the protestors.
Coaches of Deccan Queen burnt, 91 BEST buses damaged in Mumbai
Five coaches of the Deccan Queen train were burnt and over 90 buses damaged in various parts of Mumbai during violent protests today against the alleged desceration of B R Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur.
"Five coaches of the Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen were burnt by protestors at Ulhasnagar during a rail roko this afternoon," a Central Railway spokesperson told PTI here. No one was injured in the incident, he said.
According to reports, the protestors asked people to get out of the train before setting the coaches on fire.
Incidents of stone pelting were reported from Trombay, Chembur, Kurla, Bhandup, Mulund and Navghar in northeast Mumbai.
There were also stone pelting incidents at Kherwadi, Kurar, Bandra's Pali Hill and Goregaon in northwest Mumbai, police said.
Buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were being targeted specifically by protestors, who were pelting stones during rasta rokos, police said.
A BEST spokesman said 91 of its buses had been damaged in stone pelting. "Four drivers and a woman passenger were injured due to the incidents across the city," he said.
BEST's entire fleet is on the roads but some routes are being diverted as precaution, he said.
Protestors from dalit groups organised rail rokos at Bhandup and Airoli stations on the Central Railway line in the morning, affecting services briefly, a spokesperson said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil has asked police to take necessary measures to ensure that the law and order situation in the state remains under control, a home department official said.
Similar incidents were also reported from the neighbouring Thane district, police said.
In Aurangabad, police fired one round in the air last night to disperse a crowd of 1,000 Dalit protestors demonstrating at Mukundwadi area of the city.
According to police, the protestors gathered on Jalna Road in Mukundwadi at around 9 pm on Wednesday and subsequently some of them began pelting stones at vehicles passing by.
A police team, which reached the spot by around 10 pm, failed to pacify the protesters, who then turned their ire against the police contingent.
In the ensuing melee, six persons, including sub-inspector and a constable, were injured, prompting the police to fire in the air.
The injured were admitted to a city hospital.
Curfew has been clamped and extra police force deployed in Nandurbar town of north Maharashtra after a demonstration taken by Dalit organizations this morning took a violent turn, police said.
Twenty-four persons were injured in the violence.
The protestors, who took out the march to the district collector's office, pelted stones on shops and vehicles, they said.
In Nasik district, Dalit activists tried to set afire a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus in Ambad area this morning, police said.
Protesters had damaged 100 vehicles and set on fire one MSRTC bus at Sinnar-Phata in the district yesterday.
MSRTC suspended its city bus service to all routes in Nasik, affecting commuters, after suffering heavy losses in the ongoing protests, MSRTC officials said.
Stone-pelting was also reported in Bhim Nagar locality in Nasik Road area today, where commercial establishments and banks remained closed. The functioning of educational institutions too were adversely affected here, police said.
Three persons were arrested for allegedly lynching Dalit youth Rangnath Shankar Dhale, 23, last night on Jail Road after he was found pelting stones at vehicles, police said.
Dhale's body was brought to the Nasik Civil Hospital for autopsy and will be cremated later in the day on Nasik Road.
Meanwhile, Republican Party of India leaders Dadabhau Nikam and Priya Kirti Tribhuvan urged people to remain calm and assist the police to normalise the situation.
Public Works Department Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who is also guardian minister of Nasik, has been currently touring trouble-torn areas and taking stock of the situation of the city, officials said.
Some protestors have staged 'rail roko' near Ullhas Nagar in Thane district, affecting train services beyond Kalyan on Central Railway section.
There were also been incidents of violent protesting in Kherwadi in Bandra East, where around 15 to 20 agitators pelted stones on passing vehicles.
In neighbouring city of Thane, the corporation-run buses are off the road due to some instances of stone pelting on the vehicles. Autorickshawas were also not plying in the city.
Protestors have forced owners of shops and establishments to down shutters and only emergency services are operating in Thane.
Violent protests have also been reported from the satellite township of Navi Mumbai.
Reports of traffic snarl and stone pelting were reported from Turbhe, Rable, Tigart and on busy Thane-Belapur road, the police said.
Buses of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) and autorickshawas are off the road. Protestors have forcefully closed shops and establishments in some pockets, police said.
Meanwhile, continuing agitation by the people in Dapodi, Khirkee and Pimpri areas affected train services between Pune and Mumbai in the morning, railway sources said.
Agitators in small groups as part of their ‘rail-roko’ agitation squatted on the tracks at Dapodi, Khirkee and Pimpri.
Personnel from Rapid Action Force rushed to the spots and cleared the tracks, the sources said.
Nasik, November 30: Three persons were killed and over 60 injured during protests across Maharashtra following the alleged desecration of B R Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur, DGP P S Pasricha said.
