Mumbai, Aug 9 (UNI) Despite appeals by the organisers for peaceful protest across the state, the day-long Maharashtra 'bandh' (shut down), called by Maratha outfits for reservation demand turned violent, with arson, road blocks, processions, clashes with police and stone-pelting reported from many parts of the state, before it ended on Thursday evening, officials said here.
Though the shutdown got on to a peaceful start this morning, within hours, there were many incidents of violence, especially in Pune district, besides over a dozen public and private vehicles damaged in other parts of the state.
The Maratha Kranti Morcha and Sakala Maratha Samaj had issued a 'code of conduct' to the supporters, to ensure a violence-free shutdown, cooperation with the police and refraining from rampaging, among others things, but it remained on paper only.
In Mumbai, neighbouring Thane and Navi Mumbai, only token protests were held. The suburban train services on Western Railway, Central Railway and Metro Railway operated normally, while traffic movement was unhindered.
Attempts were made to block the railways in Nagpur, Pune and Nanded. Umri railway station was allegedly attacked and damaged, leading to delays or cancellations of several long-distance trains on various routes.
As a precaution, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) suspended its services in most parts of the state to avoid being targeted by activists. Lakhs of travellers in rural areas were badly hit.
There were road blocks on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mumbai-Goa Highway, Mumbai-Nashik Highway and the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway, which remained practically traffic-free due to the shutdown.
In Pune, protestors staged a sit-in outside the Baramati (Pune district) home of Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and in Latur, Congress Legislator Triambak Bhise's vehicle was allegedly stoned and he was roughed up before the security officials whisked him to safety.
Activists climbed on the walls of the Pune collectorate building, indulged in stone-pelting and attempted to stop mediapersons from reporting on the protests.
Internet services were snapped as a precaution in Navi Mumbai and several districts, including Pune, Kolhapur, Sangli, Aurangabad, Osmanabad, Yavatmal and Ahmednagar.
In Latur, Solapur, Jalna, Hingoli and Ahmednagar, tyres were burnt on roads, in Kolhapur, Palghar and several other places, roads were blocked, while most other districts like Pune, Ahmednagar, Washim, Dhule, Buldhana, Nanded, Akola and Parbhani witnessed a near total shutdown.
Although Nashik city remained normal, the situation elsewhere in the district was different with roadblocks, processions and sit-ins and similar agitations reported in Nagpur, where activists performed prayers to a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
In Yavatmal, a motorbike rally was taken out and a bullock cart procession hit the roads in Nanded.

A group of activists went to the Aurangabad MIDC and indulged in stone-pelting at several companies. Police responded by firing in the air.
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