RailEnquiry

Aug 11: Several vehicles including BEST buses were set ablaze when a protest rally against the recent violence in Assam turned violent here today. The unruly protesters vented their ire on a few shops in the subway leading to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and also attacked OB vans of three television channels. With the mob going on a rampage, police resorted to lathicharge and fired into the air. All roads leading to Azad Maidan, the venue of the protest, and CST were subsequently blocked as a precautionary measure. Thousands attended the rally but the authorities did not anticipate that the large gathering would create trouble. When a section of the protesters started pelting stones at buses and setting vehicles on fire, the police were caught unawares and could only restore a semblance of control after hours of mayhem. It is not clear what triggered the sudden unrest. Sources said that poor media coverage of the protest in the first place could be one reason. The rally was organised by the Raza Academy. Members of the Sunni Jamaitul Ulma and Jamate Raza-e-Mustafa joined the rally. They urged the Centre and the Assam government to take steps to protect the minority community.