Vidharbha comes to a halt

The call was given by the Vidarbha Rajya Sangram Samiti, comprising all political parties, including the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the NCP and regional groups. The response was spontaneous and almost total in most parts, and passed off peacefully as the police in full strength kept vigil.

Shiv Sena and the MNS are the only two political parties which are against separation of Vidarbha from Maharashtra.

At least nine long-distance trains, including New Delhi-Bangalore Rajdhani Express and Mumbai-Nagpur Vidarbha Express, were forcibly stopped, four state transport buses were stoned, and the Mumbai-Kolkata and Varanasi-Kanyakumari highways were blocked by protestors, who ignored the prohibitory orders imposed by the authorities.