Maratha agitation: Police vehicles attacked in Thane, shops

Protesters pelted police vehicles with stones at Nitin Junction in the city today as Maratha organisations gave a call for Bandh to press the demand of reservations.

Most shops and commercial establishments remained closed, while very few auto-rickshaws could be seen on roads.

Police resorted to baton-charge and fired teargas shells to disperse a mob of around 250 persons at Nitin Junction when it turned violent, said police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar.

Some policemen were also injured in the stone-pelting, said another officer.

Following the violence, police rounded up around two dozen persons and the situation was now peaceful, Narkar said.

Elsewhere in the city, protesters hurled stones on two public transport buses in Wagle Estate area and burnt tyres on its arterial Ghodbunder Road, but the police removed them.

Agitators also staged blockades in some areas, including the Teen Hath Naka junction, resulting in huge traffic jams on the city's main entry and exit points.

Most public transport buses had stopped plying in the afternoon.