New Delhi: Maharashtra continued to remain on the edge on Wednesday after high drama unfolded across the state with the arrest and the subsequent release of MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
The arrest of Raj resulted in nightlong violence in Mumbai and other cities as activists of the group went on the rampage.
Tension mounted around noon as policemen entered Thackeray's house and shops shut down.
Nashik: One killed, city tense
Violence spread like wildfire and spilled over to the neighbouring cities of Nashik and Pune. One person – an employee of Hindustan Aeronauticals Limited - was killed in Nashik even as Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil asserted that the state police was fully prepared to tackle the situation.
Fifty-year-old Ambadas Dharrao was killed in heavy stone pelting on a company bus. One more person was injured in that incident. Para-military forces were rushed to the sensitive areas across the state.
Nearly 70 per cent of the shops remained shut as violence spread and shopkeepers observed self-imposed ''bandh'' since morning.
Attacks on passing vehicles and stray incidents of vandalism directed against migrants were also reported from Pune, Raigad, Thane, Beed, Aurangabad and Akola towns.
Mumbai: Uneasy calm
Similar was the case in Mumbai where many office-goers preferred to stay indoors lest they should be caught in a backlash in the event of Raj’ sarrest.
Stone pelting incidents were reported from different parts of the state with the civic and state transport buses bearing the brunt of the attacks.
The MNS activists also tried to set ablaze a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus at Deepali Nagar on Mumbai-Agra national highway.
Police arrested over 150 MNS activists protesting Raj's arrest.
PAGE_BREAK
However, industry body NASSCOM held its leadership summit here in Mumbai with over 2,000 delegates from within and outside the country participating in the event.
In Goregaon, northwest Mumbai, several taxis, usually driven by north Indians were targeted, as were state-run buses.
"The central government has sent the central security forces to Mumbai following the tension over the possible arrest of Raj Thackeray," Joint Commissioner Of Police (Law & Order) K L Prasad was quoted as saying by news agencies.
The Rapid Action Force and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at various parts of Mumbai along with the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) who are on high alert, Prasad added
How it began
On Monday, Mumbai Police filed suo motu complaints invoking non-bailable sections of the law against Raj, nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi.
Raj on Tuesday refused to accept a notice connected to the complaint against him lodged by the Shivaji Park police.
The MNS tirade against outsiders, specifically north Indians settled in the city, has vitiated the political atmosphere in Maharashtra. MNS and Samajwadi Party activists clashed in several parts of the state.
Both Raj and Azmi were arrested but were released on bail later in the day on a personal bond of Rs 15,000 and Rs.10,000 respectively in two different courts.
Raj appeared before metropolitan magistrate B K Sharma while Azmi was produced before metropolitan magistrate R B Agarwal.
Comments
0 comment