Maratha Quota Stir: Internet blocked in Navi Mumbai after clashes, arson

Police on Wednesday evening lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in the Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles and clashed with local people.

Mumbai Bandh → Internet services in the neighboring Navi Mumbai township have been suspended since early Thursday.

The decision was taken in the wake of the situation in areas like Kopar Khairne, which witnessed violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Wednesday, he said.

The situation in Kopar Khairne was still tense, the official said.
Last evening, the police had lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles, clashed with local people and indulged in arson. Miscreants had also set fire to a police outpost.

Maratha Quota Stir

The incidents took place after the Maratha organisations, seeking reservations in government jobs and education, had called off the bandh.

A group of protesters who were returning home last night had hurled stones at vehicles of local people in Kopar Khairane, a police official earlier said.

Later, some members of local communities had gathered at the spot and clashed with protesters, he said.

The mob then hurled stones in which some offices and shops were damaged.

They also set fire to a police chowky (outpost) near D-Mart supermarket in sector 6.

Five to six cars and over a dozen two-wheelers parked in front of the chowky were also vandalised and torched.....continue reading

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News Source : BS

Maratha Quota Stir: Mumbai tense; buses attacked, slogans against CM Devendra Fadnavis

Agitators gathered at various locations in the Mumbai region and the neighbouring Raigad and Palghar districts

 

Mumbai Bandh : Protesters attacked public buses in Mumbai, and the neighboring Thane and Navi Mumbai as the bandh called by Maratha outfits over their demand for reservation began this morning. Two BEST buses were attacked by agitators in Kanjurmarg and Bhandup suburbs of Mumbai.

In view of the stone-pelting on buses, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) partially suspended its services in those areas and expects to resume it when the situation improves, an official of the transport body said.

Protesters also hurled stones at a public transport bus in Wagle Estate area of the neighboring Thane city. They blocked some areas there, including the key Teen Hath Naka junction, resulting in long queues of vehicles on the road leading to Mumbai. A bus was also attacked in Ghansoli area of Navi Mumbai following which the city transport authority suspended its services in the area, an official said.

Agitators gathered at various locations in the Mumbai region and the neighbouring Raigad and Palghar districts.

At some places, protesters raised slogans against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Public Works Department Minister Chandrakant Patil for allegedly insulting sentiments of the Maratha community.

The suburban railway services on the western, central, harbor and trans-harbor lines were not affected, officials said. Around 7 million people travel in local trains daily in the Mumbai region.
The Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation for reservation in jobs and education, has called for the shutdown in Mumbai and some neighboring districts today. Another outfit, the Sakal Maratha Samaj, called for the bandh in Navi Mumbai and Panvel areas.

A constable died and nine other policemen were injured amid suicide attempt by three agitators during the violence.

Agitators had clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places, while Internet services were suspended in rural areas of Aurangabad district to prevent any untoward incident. In Jalna, the police had fired in the air to quell protests.

Read more → Maratha Quota Stir

70 call centre staff held for duping US nationals

In a swift operation, Thane Crime Branch officials conducted raids at seven call centres on Mira Road and arrested 70 employees for allegedly threatening US citizens for extortion and siphoning off their money.

Police investigations also revealed that the daily turnover of these call centres was to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, with an annual collection of over Rs 400 crore. The modus operandi was that the call centre employees would pose as the US Internal Revenue Service department officials.

They would provide their badge number and identity card number. They would call US citizens and demand their financial and bank details, failing which they would allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action and jail term.

After obtaining requisite details from American citizens, these call centre employees would siphon off money from their accounts. The callers would ask US citizens not to disconnect the phone call, and ask them to purchase a gift card or make some other payment, and obtain their account details.

Police investigations have revealed these call centres employed 770 people, of which 70 have been arrested. The police allowed another 73 to go, while the remaining 630-odd agents are on radar.

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