Thane (Maharashtra) [India], July 8 : Mumbai Police on Tuesday detained several Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers who were protesting against traders for allegedly not speaking Marathi.
The protest was part of a larger controversy surrounding the use of language in the city. MNS workers had gathered in the Mira-Bhayandar area to protest against traders who they claimed were not speaking Marathi.
The police had earlier denied permission for the rally, citing intelligence inputs and potential law and order issues. Despite this, the MNS workers went ahead with their protest, leading to their detention by the police.
Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey stated that the police had detained some people and appealed to the city's residents to cooperate with the police. The police had suggested an alternative route for the rally, which the MNS workers had refused to accept.
"Based on the High Court's instructions, we stated that you can take permission to hold rally, but change the route. We also had some intelligence inputs, based on which we made this decision. We have detained some people, and I appeal to the city's residents to cooperate with the police," Pandey told ANI.
The controversy began when some traders in Mumbai were allegedly attacked by MNS workers for not speaking Marathi. The MNS had been demanding that traders and shopkeepers in the city speak Marathi, leading to tensions between the two groups. The police have been working to maintain law and order in the city and prevent any further escalation of the situation.
The MNS has been advocating for the use of Marathi in public places and has been critical of those who do not speak the language. The party's chief, Raj Thackeray, has been vocal about the need for people to learn and speak Marathi, especially in Maharashtra.
MNS workers protested in the Mira Bhayandar area at Mira road in Thane earlier today, protesting the now rolled back order of the Maharashtra government mandating Hindi language to be taught in primary schools.
MNS leader Avinash Jhadav was also detained by the police for protesting at Mira Road.
Notably, Maharashtra Minister Pratap Baburao Sarnaik broke ranks with his government and came to Mira Bhayandar to support the MNS protest against traders over the language row.
But instead of a warm welcome, MNS workers called him a traitor and forced the minister to leave the spot. The minister had no choice but to leave as the crowd grew agitated.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the administration asked them to take an alternate route, to which they did not agree.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis said, "It would be wrong to say that we did not permit the protest at Mira Road. I have spoken to the commissioner, who told me that the Police did not refuse permission for the protest."