It was one Wednesday Rajiv Agarwal, CEO of advertising agency Bates India, won’t forget easily.He returned from a business meeting in Lucknow today to find the Sahar airport deserted. The sun was up, no taxi willing to down its meter. His destination was Bandra Reclamation, at least a two-hour walk. But just as he began to make his way home, an Indian Express photographer who recognised him offered him a ride.Many passengers were stranded at the Sahar airport because of non-availability of taxis and autos during the bandh called by the Shiv Sena-BJP combine to protest against Monday’s Ghatkopar blast.Though local trains were running, Sena and BJP activists ensured that they did not keep to time. This included long-distance services such as the Rajdhani.Stone-pelting was reported in some places when shops opened and taxis and private cars tried to ply. An unidentified foreigner was robbed of Rs 5,000 on his way to the airport when a mob stopped his vehicle.A teenager was assaulted at Laxminagar, Goregoan (West), when Sena activists insisted on shutting down a madarsa there. Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ahmad Javed said three persons were arrested after the incident.Around 100 Shiv Sena workers also tried to enter the Bombay Stock Exchange but BSE Executive Director Manoj Vaish said that trading was not affected. While the branches of most banks remained partially closed due to staff shortage, inter-bank and cheque clearance activity slowed down. ‘‘There was no inter-bank clearance which is usually worth Rs 100 to 200 crore daily,’’ RBI sources said.The OPDs of various city hospitals also wore a deserted look. Apart from the inconvenience of travel and some incidents of stone-throwing, the bandh passed off peacefully although the Sena-BJP’s purpose of bringing the city to a standstill seemed to have been achieved. The bandh was supported by various Muslim organisations some of which even participated in joint demonstrations with the Sena on Mohammed Ali Road. ‘‘Whoever planted that bomb wants to create a Hindu-Muslim divide. We will stand against any such forces,’’ said Ibrahim Tai, president, Muslim Council.To ensure that their ‘‘protest against terrorism’’ didn’t go unseen, some activists called up media houses to tell them about their schedule. Though they posed merrily at rail rokos, the activists didn’t approve of being caught in violent acts. So when a private TV channel’s camera captured them beating up a taxi driver in Kherwadi, they damaged channel’s outdoor broadcast van and threatened reporters.Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal criticised the Shiv Sena for forcing the bandh on citizens. ‘‘They wanted political mileage from the incident, and everybody has seen on television how people were forced not to go to work,’’ he said.Meanwhile, in Thane, Rajya Sabha MP Satish Pradhan was arrested for violating prohibitory orders. He was later released on bail.
