Congress, BJP de dana dan at celebrations

Victory celebration for Congress's Baba Siddique took a violent turn in Bandra yesterday.

Victory celebration for Congress's Baba Siddique took a violent turn in Bandra yesterday. According to Senior Police Inspector Prakash George, trouble started at 1.30 pm, when Congress workers gathered near the counting centre on Hill Road - a stone's throw distance from the police station.

Cracking up: The Congress and BJP workers' revelry on the streets of Bandra took a violent turn. PIC/SAMEER MARKANDE

"The policemen had warned them against bursting crackers near the centre, but they did not pay heed. Before the police could get them to move, a miscreant, allegedly from the BJP, hurled a soda bottle at the Congress men. This resulted in stone pelting," said the police.

Shutters were downed in the area, as tension mounted. Two BEST buses and a car were also damaged. A stationery shop owner said, "Scared for my life, I locked myself inside the shop." A waiter said, "It was a riot-like situation."

Fifteen Congress and BJP workers were detained. However, by 7 pm, 12 were released. The three, who allegedly led the mob, were cooling their heels in the lockup. Madhav Bhandari, BJP spokesperson, said, "The margin of Congress' win for was marginal. They were not able to digest the fact that we were so close and thus initiated the violence." Baba Siddique and Sanjay Dutt remained unavailable for comment.