NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday appealed to withdraw the call for Maharashtra Bandh, to protest Badlapur sexual assault, hours after he had previously expressed his support for the same. His appeal to withdraw came in light of the Bombay High Court order terming the Bandh "unconstitutional".  Sharad Pawar, taking to his social media, wrote that the Bandh was called because people`s emotions were running high following heinous crime. 

"In the wake of the Badlapur sexual assault, a statewide public shutdown was called for on August 24, 2024. The horror the two minors had to face was very disgusting which evoked a strong response from the public. The Bandh was an attempt to draw the government`s attention to this matter," the NCP (SP) chief wrote.