Pune, Jan 4 (UNI) The Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday withdrew the call for Maharashtra 'bandh' after the agitation turned violent.
The bandh was called to protest the violence erupted on Monday after the bicentenary celebrations of the historic 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon, 30 kms from here on January 1, where one people died and several others were injured.
According to the sources, Mr Ambedkar had put forward his term and conditions before the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis before his decision to withdraw the strike.
His main demand was the immediate arrest of two leaders-Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote and be booked under section 302 (murder) of IPC, sources said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ambedkar appealed to the people to remain calm and maintain peace.
In the violence, government properties worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed all around the Maharashtra. The traffic of several state highways was haulted while many express and local trains services were suspended, crippling the life.
In Pune district, shops, banks, school, colleges were shut down as a precautionary measures.
As many as 55 buses of the Pune Mahanagar Parivartan Mahamandal Limited were damaged in the stone pelting incidents.
A morcha was carried by group of people against Milind Ekbote, who was already booked by Pune police under relevant sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Act and Orchestrating Violence in Bhima Koregaon on January 1.
The Pune police also said that they have received a complaint against Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students leader Umar Khalid for their alleged provocative speeches at an event in Pune on December 31.
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