MSRTC Workers Protest: Mumbai Police Arrest 7 More Persons Over Agitation Outside Sharad Pawar’s Residence

MSRTC employees have been on strike since November 2021 demanding that the cash-strapped transport corporation be merged with the state government.

MSRTC employees have been on strike since November 2021 demanding that the cash-strapped transport corporation be merged with the state government | PTI

New Delhi: Seven more people were arrested by the Police in connection with the protest held by a group of MSRTC workers outside NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence in Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. 

With these fresh arrests, the number of total persons arrested so far has reached 110, said an official, quoted by the news agency.

Hours after the protest, 103 people were arrested by the Police on Friday, including advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, who claims to represent the striking employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), he said.

Several employees of the MSRTC had staged a sudden and fierce protest outside 'Silver Oak', the NCP supremo's residence on Pedder Road in south Mumbai on Friday afternoon, accusing the veteran leader of not doing anything to help them. 

"Mumbai police have so far arrested 110 persons in connection with the attack on NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence," the official said.

A group of striking employees of the MSRTC had staged a sudden and fierce protest outside 'Silver Oak', the NCP supremo's residence on Pedder Road in south Mumbai on Friday afternoon, accusing the veteran leader of not doing anything to help them.

Officials from the Gamdevi police station had arrested 103 persons including lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte on Friday on charges of rioting, unlawful assembly, assault and criminal conspiracy, he said.

"Seven more persons were arrested early on Saturday during a search operation," he said.

Meanwhile, security was beefed up at Sharad Pawar’s residence in Mumbai and his hometown Baramati in Pune district, the official said. 

The protesting MSRTC workers were agitating at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai earlier from where they were  removed early on Saturday, they said.

The employees of MSRTC, which has over 90,000 persons on its payrolls, have been on strike since November 2021. The main demand of the striking workers is that the cash-strapped transport corporation be merged with the state government.

While Pawar's party is part of the ruling coalition, the transport portfolio is held by the Shiv Sena's Anil Parab.