Mixed response to VHP’s bandh call

Vidarbha Bandh call given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)’s Vidarbha unit and its allied Hindu organisations in protest against Shankaracharya’s arrest received mixed response in the city and region on Friday. Even though VHP leaders have claimed 100 per cent support to the bandh all across the region, in Nagpur the agitation was limited to the areas in central parts of the city.

According to the police, Nagpur witnessed a mixed response to the agitation. Business installations along Central Avenue, in Mahal, and Sitabuldi remained closed for the day but in Sadar and a few other market areas the business was as usual. VHP leader Dr Hemant

Jambhekar alleged that despite the promise of Police administration to co-operate with VHP activists during the bandh, at many places police pressurised small businessmen to open their shops. Police have tried to suppress the spontaneous response of the public to the bandh call, he charged.

VHP’s territorial chief Prof Vyankatesh Abdeo and Vidarbha unit President Dr Appasaheb Patil claimed that the bandh was a total success as almost all public, government and business institutions in Akola, Wardha, Amravati, Bhandara, Gondia, Yavatmal and Nagpur remained closed in support of the call. “It was total success as per the reports from our VHP workers across the region,” they stated.

The leaders, while condemning the police custody remand to the Kanchi seer, pointed out that in Yavatmal some VHP activists attempted to immolate self when the news of PCR to Shankaracharya came in. However, the police later foiled the self-immolation bid.

According to Abdeo and Patil nearly 400 VHP activists were detained by the police in the entire Vidarbha. In Nagpur total 175 activists, including 15 women workers of Durga Wahini, have been detained, according to the local unit leaders here.

Daud Bhai Sheikh, Vice-President of Maharashtra Unit of Humanrights Association of India has strongly condemned the arrest of Hindu religious head.

He fears that the arrest may prove dangerous for the minorities in a Hindu majority country. He has honoured the role of Shankaracharya in resolving the vexed Ayodhya dispute.

Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha workers took active part in the bandh. State unit chief Arun Joshi led demonstrations organised in various areas of the city on Friday. Vasant Mahajan, Dada Tambekar, Virendra Deshpande, Ranjit Joshi, Akshay Wagh, Anant Padhye, Abhijit Joshi, Raju Moharbadwe, Hatagade, Mude, Wahane, Mate, Chaudhary, Pandhare, Arvikar, Mahurle, Khotele, Mandavkar, Rane, Sant and others took part in the agitation. In Khaparkheda, the bandh was successfull, claims Subhash Bhatra, Ashok Zingare, Ramesh Lodhe, Gaikwad, Shingane, More Asif Sayyed and others.

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