No Maharashtra Bandh Today, Uddhav Leads MVA In Protests Over Badlapur Case: 'Cannot Silence Our Voice'

The leaders and workers of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, including the Nationalist Congress Party - Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress, staged protests across Maharashtra on Saturday. The prominent faces were seen wearing black bands on their foreheads and arms as they demonstrated against the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Maharashtra’s Badlapur. 

"The court may have halted our bandh, but it cannot silence our voice," said Former chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who joined the demonstrations outside the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar. 

Uddhav Thackeray emphasised the need to remove the Mahayuti government, asserting that it is crucial for ensuring the safety of women in the state. “It is a pity that instead of taking action against the culprits it is standing with them,” Thackeray alleged, reported PTI. 

The Bombay High Court on Friday barred political parties from proceeding with the bandh called by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on August 24 in protest against the Badlapur incident. 

In response, Uddhav Thackeray directed his party workers to launch a signature campaign with the slogan "Bahin Surakshit tar Ghar Surakshit" (home is safe if sisters are secure), which will be presented to the Bombay High Court. 

A male attendant has been arrested in Badlapur town, Thane district, for allegedly sexually assaulting two 4-year-old kindergarten girls at a local school. The incident triggered a large-scale protest in Badlapur on Tuesday.