Shiv Sena protests power hike in Mumbai, 35 injured
June 24th, 2009 - 4:20 pm ICT by IANSMumbai, June 24 (IANS) At least 35 people, including eight women, were injured Wednesday when police baton charged Shiv Sena workers protesting hike in power tariff in this Maharashtra city, police said.
The police detained Shiv Sena leaders Subhash Desai, former MP Suresh Prabhu, and former minister Gajanan Kirtikar who were leading the protestors in different parts of the city.
Police baton charged agitators when they barged into a Reliance Power office in Goregaon, an official said.
Similarly, several parts of the Western Express Highway were blocked as the protestors squatted on the thoroughfare and raised slogans against the power companies.
The protests follow an appeal by the Shiv Sena to Mumbaikars Tuesday to desist from paying the hiked electricity bills.
Shiv Sena workers blocked entry to several offices of Reliance Energy, the main power supplier in the Mumbai suburbs, the Bombay Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) in southern parts of the city, and Tata Power Company, police said.
The agitation was launched in Andheri, Santacruz, Goregaon and Ghatkopar with senior party leaders coming out in full strength and thousands of commoners joining the protests.
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has warned that if the power companies want to continue doing business in Mumbai “they would have to roll back the power hikes imposed on the people”.
The party also challenged the power companies which resorted to cutting off electric supply for failure to pay bills — “We will show them if they do this,” said a statement in the party mouthpiece Saamna.
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Tags: agitators, city police, commoners, company police, desai, electricity bills, gajanan, ghatkopar, maharashtra city, party leaders, police baton, power hike, power tariff, rajya sabha, raut, reliance power, supply transport, suresh prabhu, tata power, western express
