Road blockades, strikes held by NCP workers

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supporters staged road blockades, burnt photos of BJP MP Kirit Somaiya and observed a strike in three tehsil towns of Nashik district on Tuesday to protest against the arrest of their leader MLA Chhagan Bhujbal, on corruption charges.

A road blockade too was held at Patne village in Dhule district on Tuesday while stone pelting was reported in Igatpuri on the Mumbai-Agra Highway on Monday evening.

A general strike was observed in Yeola, which is the assembly constituency of Chhagan Bhujbal, Nandgaon, which is represented by his son MLA Pankaj Bhujbal and in Manmad Junction town in Nandgaon tehsil. Lasalgaon too observed a bandh and onion markets remained closed, reports said.

In Nashik, the supporters converged at NCP Bhavan off Mumbai-Agra Highway and shouted slogans. Some photos of Mr Somaiya, who had pursued the case against Bhujbal, too were burnt. The police arrived and dispersed the activists. Most of the leaders are camping in Mumbai to support Bhujbal and to view the court proceeding. Road blockades were held in Nandgaon, Yeola, Manmad, Ojhar towns and Adgaon naka area of Nashik City. Nashik City, however, was normal but police security had been increased.

Nashik parliamentary constituency was earlier held by Sameer Bhujbal, who too is in judicial custody. In the last elections, he was trounced by Shiv Sena candidate Hemant Godse.