Thane road blockade over Pradeep Purnekar murder jams Ghodbunder Road overnight

Hundreds of people blocked Thane's busy Ghodbunder Road on Tuesday night. They were supporters of Pradeep Purnekar, the slain Shiv Sena (UBT) leader. Tyres were burned at several places during the overnight agitation, causing a massive traffic jam, and commuters were stranded for hours. Vehicles could not move forward, and many people had to walk several kilometres to reach home.

Videos of the agitation and the long queues of vehicles circulated widely on social media. Some users claimed the road remained shut for six to seven hours. According to police, traffic was back to normal by Wednesday morning.

Purnekar's son, Ram Purnekar, has demanded the arrest of former Thane mayor Meenakshi Shinde and her husband Rajendra Shinde in connection with his father's murder on September 29. On Tuesday afternoon, police detained Ram Purnekar as he was trying to march towards the Thane residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A protest then began outside Naupada police station, where leaders of opposition parties also arrived with supporters.

Later, hundreds of protesters blocked Ghodbunder Road in stretches falling under the Kapurbawdi, Chitalsar and Kasarvadavali police station areas. Tyres were burned at several places.

The blockade caused great hardship to people travelling between Thane and Mumbai. At about 2.30 am, a commuter stuck in the jam asked on Instagram when the "bandh" would end. He wrote, "Stuck in traffic for over 2 hours... I am just a common man who wakes up at 6 am and travels to Goregaon in Mumbai for work, and now I can't even get home."

Another commuter, returning from Mumbai airport, posted a video on Facebook late on Tuesday night showing vehicles standing still on both sides. He claimed that some people had to walk four to five kilometres to get home. Some posts showed tyres burning above and below the Manpada bridge, bringing vehicle movement to a complete halt. Users also pointed to the road's long-standing problems, such as heavy vehicles, narrow stretches and poor traffic management, and said the blockade made matters worse.

An official at the Thane police control room said traffic returned to normal at about 4 am on Wednesday. According to the official, the process of registering cases against those who took part in the agitation was being started. Ghodbunder Road is a key route linking many parts of Thane with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The blockade affected office-goers as well as those returning from the airport late at night.

Pradeep Purnekar, the Shiv Sena (UBT) division chief of the Manpada area, was attacked by unidentified assailants in his office on September 29 and died. Police have arrested five suspects, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the murder. Police have cited old political rivalry and competition linked to the upcoming Thane civic body elections as possible reasons for the attack. The allegations against Meenakshi Shinde and Rajendra Shinde have not been proved in court.

On Tuesday, police stopped Ram Purnekar in the Wagle Estate area as he tried to march towards Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's residence to protest. In videos he was seen pleading with officers before being taken to Naupada police station. He said, "I have lost my father, sir." After his detention, leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress reached the police station. Alleging a rise in crime in Thane, they demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Shinde.

Former mayor Meenakshi Shinde appeared on Tuesday at the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) office for questioning in the murder case. She told reporters, "I am cooperating fully with the police." The Purnekar family alleges there is political pressure on those investigating the case. The family has demanded the arrest of those it accuses of conspiring to commit the murder. The investigation is continuing.