Maharashtra cops' flip-flop over nod lends drama to MNS protest march

MIRA BHAYANDAR: Amid high drama triggered by police's denial of permission and detention of local MNS functionaries, hundreds of MNS workers, supporters and locals took part in a march at Mira Road on Tuesday to counter a protest staged by traders last week against the assault on a shopowner by the party's activists for not speaking Marathi.

Workers of Shiv Sena (UBT) and UBT Sena MP Rajan Vichare also joined the MNS activists midway, increasing the numbers. Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik visited the protest site in the afternoon but was heckled and forced to leave.

Police had initially denied permission for the morcha. But as the crowd grew after 10 am and voices of protest were raised, police allowed the march to proceed. CM Devendra Fadnavis said there was no objection to holding a march and police had suggested the usual route sanctioned for it, but MNS insisted on a particular route and hence nod was denied. "The police chief informed me that police had inputs some of them were likely to do something," the CM said.

Many MNS functionaries, including Avinash Jadhav , MNS Thane and Palghar district chief, were detained early morning. Jadhav was taken into preventive custody. Around 10am, people started gathering for the morcha, and as numbers swelled, cops began detaining people there as well. Jadhav was released by noon, and in the afternoon, after protests, the morcha was allowed. Two MNS functionaries from Mumbai, Nitin Sardesai and Sandeep Deshpande, also joined. The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti was also part of the morcha.

Minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam said there is no difference in treatment of Marathi and non-Marathi groups over rally permissions, but court guidelines must be followed. BJP MLA Narendra Mehta questioned the motive behind MNS's rally, calling it "karna kuch aur, dikhava kuch aur" (showing one thing, doing another).