56 booked; 6,000 migrants leave Nasik

No fresh incidents of violence were reported on Thursday and police have so far arrested 56 persons for rioting and arson amid an exodus of 6,000 north Indians from Nasik.

All commercial establishments and shops, including those of north Indians, were also open and buses plied normally.

<b1>The city police has arrested MNS students wing leader Sandeep Bhavar for allegedly causing death of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited employee and booked him under sections 302, Police Commissioner SM Sayyed told reporters. He said two more accused in the case were likely to be arrested soon.

Extra police force were deployed in trouble-torn areas, especially on Satpur-Ambad link road, where majority of the north Indians live. Police also took out a march of peace committee members, Nasik Industrial Manufacturers Association members and met north Indian residents urging them not to leave in fear. Of the 40,000 north Indians, 6,000-7,000 have left the city after the violence spiral, he said.

A furniture shop, two houses, a car and cycles of a north Indian were set ablaze in Rangrej Mala area but it later turned out to be due to a land dispute and not related to Raj Thackeray's arrest. Two persons have been arrested in this connection, Sayyed added.

A security guard from north India was killed and nine workers of Jindal Polyfilm company at Gondegaon-shivar were injured last night when local villagers attacked them over a dispute with the company management over employment, DSP Nikhil Gupta said. He said 13 persons have been arrested in this regard.

Collector S Chokkalingam said a number of peace meetings were conducted on Thursday at various places to prevent the north Indians from fleeing from the city.

Gupta said patrolling at the bus stands and railway station was increased by deploying extra police force. DSP clarified that a majority of the people arrested for their involvement in stone-pelting and arson belong to MNS.