A group of striking employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) attacked Silver Oak, the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Friday, accusing him of being the roadblock in the State government fulfilling their demands.
While Mr. Pawar called for peace and said he stood with the striking employees, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil ordered an inquiry into the incident and the intelligence failure of Mumbai Police. “The attack on Sharad Pawar’s house seems to be pre-planned. Whether certain invisible hands are behind this will be probed,” Mr. Walse-Patil said.
More than a hundred protesters had turned up at the house, breaking barricades, hurling bottles and shoes, and trying to barge in. Mr. Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule tried to placate the protesters and appealed for peace.
“We are ready to discuss everything, but this is not the manner to register protest,” Ms. Sule said. She later thanked Mumbai Police for protecting her family, including Mr. Pawar, his wife and Ms. Sule’s kids who were inside the house. She said such an incident was taking place for the first time in Maharashtra.
Protesters detained, lawyer arrested
As police personnel detained the protesters, NCP workers gathered outside the house and warned the attackers of dire consequences. They said the striking employees were instigated by their lawyer, Gunaratna Sadavarte, and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Gaondevi police arrested Mr. Sadavarte, but he refuted allegations of giving inflammatory speeches and using objectionable language against Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders.
By evening, all NCP leaders and Ministers, and Shiv Sena Minister Aaditya Thackeray called on Mr. Pawar at Silver Oak. “An extremist leadership of employees is responsible for the prolonged strike and suicide by employees. Today’s action is out of frustration. I have cordial relations with these employees for the past 50 years. But their current leadership has shown them the wrong path and that is being seen today,” Mr. Pawar said.
He also appealed to NCP workers to show restraint. “We stand with the employees, not with their extremist leadership,” he said.
CM condemns attack
Chief Minister Thackeray condemned the incident, saying such targeting of leaders and their families was unprecedented in Maharashtra. “I have asked the Home Minister to take strict action against the perpetrators of the attack. No one should take law into their hands after this incident,” he said.
The employees have been on strike for the past five months demanding the merger of MSRTC with the State government. However, the demand has been rejected by a high-level panel.
The protest came a day after the Bombay High Court ruled that no coercive action will be taken against the workers if they return to work by April 22.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni said, “We will allow them to rejoin with a warning that their actions cannot be repeated. MSRTC would then be free to take action against them.”
