Criminal writ petition asking for an FIR against Prakash Ambedkar, Rahul Gandhi, Umar Khalid and JIgnesh Mevani for violence during Maharashtra bandh has been filed in Bombay High Court.

The petitioner Abdul Malik Chaudhary holds all of these leaders responsible for tense situation and violence during 'Maharashtra Bandh' observed post Bhima-Koregaon violence.

Chaudhary also seeks heavy compensation from the leaders who he says were behind the deteriorated law and order situation for three days in Maharashtra.

Chaudhary is a resident of Mumbra in Thane. He says that he was stuck in Sion due to the situation during Maharashtra Bandh.

On 1st January a riot like situation had arisen at Bhima-Koregaon area of Shirur taluka of Pune district.

It is alleged that JNU student leader Umar Khalid and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani were present and had provoked the riots.

However, the next day the rioting spread like wildfire across the state even as the state machinery appealed to people to not create law and order problems.

The petitioner states that Prakash Ambedkar's party Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh called for a state wide bandh on 3rd Jan without taking any permission from the government.

The petition says that, due to the violence during the Bandh, public life was affected and the state had to incur huge losses.

The petition drafted by advocate Ashish Giri stresses that due to the bandh, disharmony and communal hatred was spread in entire state.

The petitioner's contention is that rioting parties had other modes available to express their grievance and could have approached the court of law instead of calling for a bandh which is completely illegal.

While making a case for financial penalty, the petition cites the case im 2003 in which Shiv Sena was made to pay Rs 20 lakh as compensation post the violence.