Mumbai, October 21: :
For six excruciating hours outside the Bandra Metropolitan Court, hundreds of activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena mocked the Mumbai Police’s law and order machinery as stone pelting and sloganeering became the order of the day. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also mobilised hundreds of its women activists to participate in the protest outside the court while the police had not posted enough women constables to tackle such an eventuality.
Even as MNS chief Raj Thackeray was being escorted into the city, the first shouts of protest went up around 11 am from a woman who was requested by a police constable to make space around the court gates. What ensued was a well-planned demonstration and show of strength, sloganeering and name-calling.
First, about 30 women escorted by male party workers drowned the calls for order with their shouting. In the next 10 minutes, the entire access area to the court was blocked by a huge mob.
A lathicharge by the police was met with heavy stone pelting, the crowd easily outnumbering the police constables wielding lathis. Arguments with mediapersons also ensued, and the court area was eventually cordoned off not only for MNS men, but also for the media. “He is a special man, it’s a special case,” is all that Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 8) Nisar Tamboli would say. The mob kept attacking with stones, and an increasing number of protestors blocked the entire width of the Western Express Highway nearby. It was another four hours until the Rapid Action Force appeared.
Even as slogans laced with abuses against North Indian leaders — Lalu Prasad Yadav was a special target — rent the air, a little after noon, Additional Commissioner of Police Archana Tyagi called for a second lathicharge, driving the crowd towards the highway.The crowd was finally moved out of the court’s access road — a good six hours after the protests first started.
DGP A N Roy said: “We firmly want to assure people that situation is under control. Security forces are deployed across the state. It is not like this one organisation is closing the city. Mumbai is not burning.”
Raj Thackery is projected as a politician standing for Marathi interests. However, interests of no part of India can be protected if the idea of India itself is sought to be ripped apart. Raj Thackeray and his MNS sought to do just this when they attacked North Indians who came to Mumbai to write for an all India Railway Board exam. Therefore Raj Thackeray must be treated as an anti-national extremist, charged under tough laws and clamped behind bars.
1 comment:
i support the mns cause against anti-discrimination but i don't support there violent ways. btw, the protesters were not MNS people but common angry marathi speaking people who took the streets today. not raj's gundha's like the TV says. i like to look at the root of the problem and a problem which our north-indian news channels have cunningly ignored to telecast to argue about - unemployment in bihar/UP.
i think a state or any state is only equipped to handle it's own baggage. if there are people coming in then there should be equal people going out. a balance has to be maintained. the administrations of UP and bihar have failed to provide jobs to it's own stock and which is why the stock considers traveling to other states for jobs. the people to blame here is not raj thackray or MNS or north indians... but it's the administration of these two states who are to blame.
but since lallu controls the railway ministry and SP holds the UPA govt. together any actions against them is very unlikely. finally, it also shows the discrimination and vote bank politics played by the UPA govt. the common marathi voice speaks. no it screams.
Post a Comment