Pimpri: Pimpri-Chinchwad which had witnessed tension and stone pelting incidents at some places during the past two days returned to normalcy on Thursday.
Tension had prevailed in the city since Monday evening, following protests near Koregaon-Bhima in the district on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Anglo-Maratha war of 1818.
The police had to divert traffic near Nashik Phata on Tuesday evening, following protests at Pimpri. The protesters had blocked vehicular movement on the Pune-Mumbai highway for nearly three hours to condemn the Koregaon-Bhima violence.
Pimpri Chinchwad had experienced a mixed response to the Maharashtra Bandh called by the Bharip Bahujan Mahansangh led by Prakash Ambedkar and other organisations. Most schools and educational institutions had remained closed on Wednesday. Shops and many commercial establishments also remained closed. Anticipating a tense situation, many industrial companies declared a holiday for their employees.
Although the bandh affected the normal life in the city, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahanagar Limited (PMPML) buses continued to ply on various routes during the day although there were only a few number of passengers. Vallabhnagar depot of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) had however suspended its buses on some routes after some buses were attacked by protesters.
The traffic on the Pune-Mumbai highway was affected when protesters blocked the roads at some places in Pune district. The otherwise busy highway wore almost a deserted look at many places as many vehicle users avoided travelling during the bandh.
Nearly 1,400 police personnel and officers besides two teams of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) were posted in different parts of the city to maintain law and order.
