Mumbai: On Wednesday, when Mumbai witnessed a bandh, there were a few areas that stayed unaffected by it. In some areas, shops stayed open even though there were fewer customers as the city’s transport system took a hit. Fancy Market in Agripada, which was not affected by the bandh, has a major population of Hindus, including followers of Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
A group of local Dalits took out a silent march and handed over a protest letter to Agripada police station seeking action against culprits.
“We held a meeting on Tuesday evening, and it was decided that we will not force anybody to shut shop because causing trouble to innocent will not help us get justice,” said Mohan Shivram Merchande, a senior advisor of Bodhisattva Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti Utsav Samiti in Agripada.
He also said, “We are taking out a silent march to register our protest, and we handed over a letter to senior inspector of Agripada police station demanding strict action against culprits who attacked Dalits in
Pune district and which led to the protests in the city.”Majority of shops were also opened in Mohammed Ali Road, Kalbadevi, Chakla Market, Kumbharwada, Madanpura and Dongri and other parts of
South Mumbai including the posh Malabar Hill area.Manoj Sohanda, a resident of Ulhasnagar, who runs a shop in Mohammed Ali road, said that he left the house early in the morning and started receiving calls and messages about some trouble in local trains and certain parts of the city. “Here nobody is coming and ask us to shut the shop, and since public transport system is affected badly we have decided to leave for home only after things get normal,” he said. However, a majority of shops in Colaba, Crowford market and Manish Market were forced to shut.
“The group of Dr Ambedkar’s supporters were visiting the area after small intervals since morning and were asking people to shut down shops so maximum shop owners closed down their business for the day,” said Asfhaque Ansari who runs a small business of eye-wear in Colaba.
