MNS leader detained ahead of rally to counter traders' protest over attack on food stall owner
The rally, proposed by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti in Mira Bhayander area of Maharashtra's Thane district later on Tuesday, has not been given permission by police, they said.
Language of unity: Editorial on Maharashtra and the issue of Hindi
The police on Monday (July 7, 2025) issued orders restraining the entry of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) Thane and Palghar head Jadhav, who was supposed to participate in the rally, in Mira Bhayander area.
He was detained from his house in Thane at around 3:30 a.m., an official from Thane police control room said.
The Raj Thackeray-led MNS also posted a video of his detention on social media.
Security was stepped up in Mira Bhayander area in light of the proposed rally, which has been prohibited by police, officials said.
A food stall owner in Bhayander area was slapped by some MNS activists last week for not speaking in Marathi.
Seven members of the MNS were later detained and allowed to go after the police served notices on them.
Traders in Bhayander area had staged a protest, demanding action against those who assaulted the food stall owner.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Political war over MNS rally in Thane
Mumbai: In a dramatic development, a Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader tried to join the Opposition Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) protest against his government amid the raging language debate in Maharashtra. MNS workers heckled the minister, Pratap Sarnaik, and forced him to leave the protest site in Thane. Several workers of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS were detained in Thane's Mira Road on Tuesday morning when they took out a march to counter the protests against the 'slapgate' incident, in which MNS workers assaulted a food stall owner for not speaking Marathi. Chaotic visuals played out as MNS workers hit the streets and cops caught them and put them in police vans. The police did not permit today's protest. While being detained, several MNS workers questioned why traders were allowed to protest the 'slapgate' incident, but their counter-protest was prohibited. Many of them said that whoever lives in Maharashtra must learn Marathi and threatened that those who don't will "face consequences". Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis trashed the allegations that police denied permission for the rally. "In Maharashtra, everyone has the right to take out a protest march. Anyone can do after taking police permission. There are traffic issues, stampede risks, etc. The police commissioner told me they (MNS leaders) were asked to change the route, but they were adamant. So, police stopped them," he said. Taking a swipe at his rivals, the Chief Minister said, "I think I know Maharashtra's mood. Such experiments won't work here. A Marathi has a large heart. He does not think small." At the centre of the language row is an assault on a shopkeeper late on Sunday. Forty-eight-year-old Babulal Chaudhary, who runs the 'Jodhpur Sweet Shop' in Mira Road, was slapped and threatened by the seven MNS thugs because his staff, Bagharam, spoke to the men in Hindi. The MNS workers demanded that Chaudhary and Bagharam speak in Marathi, and the shop owner pointed out that all languages are spoken in the state. A video of the assault went viral on social media, reigniting the language debate in Maharashtra. The language row is also playing out against the backdrop of key developments in Maharashtra politics. Estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray have reunited and are countering the BJP's political attacks over the 'slapgate' incident. The 'slapgate' incident followed the political row over the state government introducing 'Hindi' in the primary school curriculum. This was later rolled back. The issue has sparked heated exchanges between leaders on opposite sides of the political aisle. Senior BJP leader and MP Nishikant Dubey launched a no-holds-barred attack on the Thackerays and dared them to come to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "If you're so courageous that you can beat those who speak Hindi, then you should also beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. If you're such a big 'boss,' step out of Maharashtra, come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu - tumko patak patak ke maarenge," the BJP leader said. Uddhav Thackeray accused the BJP of trying to gain political mileage by "divide and rule policy". He said he was not against any language, but would oppose its imposition by force. "Divide and rule has always been the BJP's policy. This style of politics is now losing its relevance. I can understand if their party is unsettled because of the success of our rally in Mumbai on Saturday," he told reporters.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Delhi govt welcomes CAQM relief on vehicle ban, CM lauds decision
The Delhi government on Tuesday welcomed the Centre for Air Quality Management's (CAQM) decision to defer the implementation of the fuel ban on overage vehicles until November 1. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the "commendable decision" taken in public interest reflects a balanced and humane approach towards environmental concerns and citizens' livelihoods. "The CAQM issuing revised guidelines on the request of the Delhi government is an important and commendable decision that has been taken keeping in mind the public interest. The government welcomes this," the chief minister said in a post in Hindi on X. She said the Delhi government will use the time given by CAQM to provide further relief to residents and work collaboratively toward a long-term and practical solution. "As much as it is necessary to protect the environment, it is equally important that no decision affects the livelihood and dignity of common citizens," she added. Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa lauded the CAQM's decision, calling it a "major relief" for the people of the city. "After our request, CAQM has shown sensitivity towards the concerns of the people. This is a big relief for Delhiites," he said. The Centre's panel on air quality in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the fuel ban on end-of-life (EOL) or overage vehicles in the national capital until November 1. EOL vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. According to directions issued earlier, such vehicles are not to be given fuel in Delhi from July 1, irrespective of the states they are registered in. Sirsa had last week requested the CAQM to withhold action against such vehicles, calling the move "premature and potentially counterproductive", citing "operational and infrastructural challenges". Reiterating the government's commitment to improving air quality in the capital, the minister said the fight against pollution will continue, but vehicle bans must be guided by science and data rather than arbitrary age limits. "Polluting vehicles must be banned, but not just because they are old. We will conduct proper studies to assess actual pollution levels and will approach the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with our findings. Any policy must be based on emission data, not age," he said. He also raised serious concerns over the scrapping of nearly 80,000 vehicles during the previous administration. "There is no proper scrapping facility in Delhi. We want to know where those vehicles went. A thorough inquiry will be initiated into this," he said. Additionally, fuel stations in Delhi have installed Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to detect EOL vehicles. The camera reads the number plate of vehicles entering fuel stations and instantly checks with the central VAHAN database, which shows details like the vehicle's age, fuel type and registration. If the vehicle is found to be EOL, the system alerts the fuel station staff not to refuel it. The violation is recorded and sent to enforcement agencies, who are then required to take action such as impounding and scrapping the vehicle. However, public discontent and outcry over the move prompted the Delhi government to request the CAQM to halt the implementation of the move. The installation of ANPR cameras in the five high-density districts is to be completed by October 31.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Drama at march by MNS, UBT on Marathi, Sena min heckled
Mira Bhayandar: Amid drama over police's initial denial of permission and detention of MNS functionaries, hundreds of party workers and locals took part in a march taken out at Mira Road Tuesday to counter a protest by traders last week against the assault by MNS activists on a shop-owner for not speaking Marathi, reports Vishal Rajemahadik. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Workers of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and UBT Sena MP Rajan Vichare also joined the MNS activists halfway through the morcha, increasing the numbers. Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik also visited the protest site in the afternoon, but he was heckled and forced to leave. Police had not given its nod to the MNS morcha at Mira Road, but as the crowd grew at 10am and protests were raised against the denial, cops allowed the morcha to proceed. CM Fadnavis said there was no bar to the march and the police had suggested the normal sanctioned route, but MNS insisted on a particular route and hence nod was denied. He said, "The police chief informed me police had inputs some of them were likely to do something". Later, workers of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and UBT Sena MP Rajan Vichare also joined the MNS activists half-way through the morcha. Earlier in the day, many MNS functionaries including Avinash Jadhav, MNS Thane and Palghar district chief, were detained. Jadhav was taken into preventive custody by Kashimira police. Around 10am, people started gathering for the morcha, and as the numbers increased, cops started detaining people there as well. Jadhav was released by noon and it was in the afternoon, after protests against the denied permission, that the morcha was allowed. Two MNS functionaries from Mumbai, Nitin Sardesai and Sandeep Deshpande, also joined the march. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti was part of the morcha. When Sarnaik arrived for the morcha, he was heckled by UBT activists. MNS' Avinash Jadhav said Sarnaik had come for the morcha as a Marathi manoos and he should not have been heckled. As Sarnaik and those in the morcha asked how the traders were allowed to hold their march, minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam (Shiv Sena) said there is no difference in treatment of non-Marathi and Marathi people when it comes to holding rallies, but there are court guidelines and govt needs to ensure no law and order situation is created. As MNS said the traders' march had no police approval, Kadam said cases have been filed against them as well. Narendra Mehta, BJP MLA from Mira Bhayandar, said traders were not given permission for their rally, and their rally was to protest against the assault on the shop-owner. Also, he said, the rally was organised in a hall and very few people were on the streets. The traders' agenda was clear that there should be no atmosphere of fear and action should be taken against the seven accused who had assaulted the shop-keeper, he said. The agenda behind the MNS rally, he said, is not clear, . He said police may have felt a law and order issue may arise and hence permission would have been denied, but MNS has conducted rallies in the past as well and permissions have been issued. Raj issues gag order to party members has imposed a gag order on MNS workers and leaders, directing them not to speak to media without his nod. They cannot express their opinion on social media too, Raj said. "No one from the party must interact with newspapers, news channels, or any digital media. Likewise, absolutely do not post videos of your reactions on social media," he said in a post on X. He also said no one in MNS should post videos or reactions on social media. He also told the MNS leaders and members who are tasked with speaking to the media to take his permission before going ahead with any communication. Imtiyaz Shaikh
