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CM Fadnavis on why MNS workers were stopped from ‘Marathi pride’ march: ‘Police had specific inputs that…’
Raj Thackeray's MNS wanted to hold a counter-protest after a march by traders over MNS men thrashing a shop owner for refusing to speak Marathi last week
After workers of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were detained in large numbers while protesting in Thane on Tuesday, Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that “nobody was denied permission for a march, but the marchers were insistent on a particular route”.
This route, he said, could not have been granted as it could have led to “law and order issues”.
The MNS wanted to hold a counter-protest after a march by traders over MNS men thrashing a shop owner for refusing to speak Marathi last week. The ‘speak-Marathi-or-else’ threats and violence has escalated in recent weeks as the MNS claims the BJP-led state government wants to impose Hindi in the state.
After MNS workers did not agree to police's decision on the route for their march, prohibitory orders were issued against the assembly of people. Scores of MNS men and women were detained.
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“I have spoken to the police commissioner of Mira Bhayandar (area) and he said they had specific inputs about plans by some of the protesters conspiring to create trouble,” the CM said.
He also addressed allegations of differential treatment as the traders were given permission for their protest march last week.
“They were given the permission because they adhered to the general route permitted by the police. The MNS workers asked for permission for a rally, too, at a specified location. Everybody knows how crowded the Mira Road railway station remains in the morning. Permitting to hold the protest around it was not possible,” Fadnavis added.
The police said MNS workers tried to take out a protest march “despite no permission and when prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than five persons were in place”.
From the MNS side, its Mumbai unit president Sandeep Deshpande said before the detentions began, “The traders' march was organised at Mira Road and police wanted us to organise the march at Ghodbunder Road. This shows that they do not want to permit our march in Mira Road area. Now, all MNS workers across the state will reach Mira Road and, will not rest till cops allow us the protest march there.” Around 12 busloads of MNS workers were later detained.
