Bachchu Kadu's protest: Highway and blocked roads restored, Nagpur police tell HC

A national highway and other roads in Nagpur, where former MLA Bachchu Kadu and his supporters were agitating for a farm loan waiver, have been cleared of the protesters, police informed the Bombay High Court on Thursday.

The court then directed all authorities to take steps in advance to ensure there is no further disturbance to the road or rail transport.

The HC's Nagpur bench gave the directive after the police informed that former Maharashtra minister Kadu and his supporters were planning a 'rail roko' agitation, if their talks with the state government failed.

Thousands of protesters led by former Maharashtra minister and Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) leader Omprakash alias Bachchu Kadu had participated in the 'Maha Elgar Morcha from Tuesday on the national highway and other roads on Nagpur city outskirts, demanding a full farm loan waiver.

A vacation bench of Rajnish Vyas on Wednesday took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the protest, noting that it continued despite no permission, and directed Kadu and his supporters to immediately vacate the highway and all other public roads.

Nagpur City Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal informed the HC on Thursday that normal traffic on the national highway and other blocked roads was restored peacefully.

The commissioner, in his affidavit, said that as per media reports, Kadu has now called for a subsequent 'rail roko' (rail traffic blockade) in case of failure of talks planned with the authorities concerned.

The commissioner sought the court to pass an order restraining Kadu from doing so, as it may cause a serious law and order situation.

Kadu has said he will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday evening for a discussion over his demands.

His advocate Hariom Dhage told the court that the PJP leader has taken a decision to cancel the ''rail roko andolan''.

The HC accepted the statement as an undertaking and said a good gesture on Kadu's part would certainly set an example.

The bench, in its order, said it is concerned about the safety and rights of citizens.

''If there is any apprehension that free movement of railway traffic will also be affected, then there is no option but to issue notice to the departments concerned,'' the court said.

The bench issued notices to the Ministry of Railways, Central Railway authorities in Nagpur, the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police.

''All the authorities - police department, railway department and local administration - shall act as a team to ensure that no untoward incident takes place and citizens are not inconvenienced,'' HC said.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.