Shiv Sena activists detained in Maharashtra

PUNE - More than 10 activists of the Shiv Sena were detained Tuesday for pelting stones on buses and stopping trains to enforce a shutdown in this Maharashtra town, police said.

The shutdown was called to protest the removal of a statue of Dadoji Konddev, Shivaji’s teacher. The activists were detained in Lonavala near Pune.

“Shiv Sena activists were detained after they were caught stopping trains, pelting stones on trains and buses and shouting slogans,” a police official said.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-controlled Pune Municipal Corporation had last week passed a resolution to remove Konddev’s statue from the historical Lal Mahal.

The statue was removed at 2 a.m. Monday. Angry Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena workers later ransacked the civic hall.