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MNS Chief Raj Thackeray Arrested - Sent to Two Week Judicial Custody - Mumbai on Alert !
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by Ravi Dixit | October 20, 2008 at 08:50 pm
3404 views | 19 Recommendations | 88 comments
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In the ongoing investigations directed towards Raj, Jamshedpur court issued a non bailable warrent against him and he has surrendered in mazgaon court in Indian city of Mumbai... More detailes awaited
Update: November 14 2008: The controversies surrounding Raj Thackrey just refuse to diw down and this time it was the birthday cake that was cut by the MNS leader.
Mumbai: Raj Thackeray is now in the midst of a birthday cake controversy that has given a new twist to the Marathi-speaking versus North Indians issue in the state.
Raj allegedly cut a cake bearing the word Bhaiyya in Hindi on his birthday on June 14 in Mumbai - a video clip of which was leaked out Friday.
Bhaiyya - meaning ‘elder brother,’ is the term by which people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are generally referred to in the city.
The video clip, shot by an unknown person from a mobile phone has both mystified and embarrassed the party as it was repeatedly flashed across television channels on Friday afternoon.
Top office-bearers of Raj Thackeray's party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) fumbled for a convincing explanation at the sudden development, which has caught the party by surprise.
“We have a lot of north Indian activists in the MNS and it must have been brought by one such activist, but we cannot recollect who,” Party Vice-President Vageesh Saraswat said.
He claimed that the word Bhaiyya on the cake probably meant that Raj Thackeray was like the elder brother of the person who presented the cake to him, and “it should not be construed that we are against North Indians".
“Moreover, something is always inscribed on any cake as per the occasion. This time, it was Bhaiyya since a North Indian party worker brought the cake. It was not intended to spread hatred against anybody,” Saraswat emphasised.
Mumbai India, 21st October 2008.
Update: 22nd October 2008
Raj Thackeray Released on Bail (5 PM IST) and is headed home as of now. The implications of his actions have just began to cascade as is mentioned in updates below. Mumbai would breathe a sigh of relief and the city should be back on track tomorrow.
No Railways Exams in Maharashtra!
In a related event, Railway Minister of India has just decleared that the entrance exams for Indian Railways will not be held in Maharashtra till such time the state government ensures complete security to the students who are attempting these exams. The backdrop is that trouble started after students from Noth Indian states were beaten up by activists of Raj's MNS after which the entire plot of his arrest and the events detailed below played out.
Bihar Students Burn Two Bogies of Train
Students from Bihar burned two bogies of a train Vikramshila Express at Barh station in Bihar. It is assumed that the two bogies had Maharashtrian passengers as per various new sites.
8 Trains from Delhi cancelled
Looking at this situation of unrest in Bihar 8 trains passing through the state have been cancelled today.
Raj in Kalyan Court
This afternoon Raj is current in the Kalyan court and the entire area of Kalyan has been placed under curfew as a precautionary measure.
Raj in Manpada Police Station
Raj Thackeray spent the last night in Manpada police station and will be presented in the Kalyan court today at 11:00 AM IST. As a precaution Kalyan area will be under curfew from 11:00 AM onwards. Wife of Raj Shirmila along with MNS activists are staging a sit in front of the Manpada Police Station.
Life is fast returning to normal in other parts of Mumbai with Taxis on the road but overall traffic is low on the roads and attendances in office is still on the lower side, though a bit high than yesterday.
People with cars registered in North Indian state were bit skeptical to take them out on the roads and preferred public transport to reach their work places.
The outcome of the court hearing would determine what happenes in the city next, the city is still on tenterhooks.
Original Story
Raj Thackeray the Chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (Maharashtra Renaissance Force /MNS) a breakaway group of Shiv Sena was arrested from Ratnagiri (A city near Mumbai in Maharashtra, Click for a map) in the wee hours of Tuesday 21th October 200. He is bought to the Western Indian Metropolis of Mumbai and his supporters have started their protests by damaging public and private property in bits and pieces. Till now (10:00 AM 21st October ,2008) the situation seems to be in control.
The roads are wearing a deserted look with a lot of Taxis keeping off the road. Most of the Taxi drivers are of the North Indian origins and have borne the brunt of attack from MNS workers in their past agitations against unemployment amongst Local youth.
State government have been mostly mute spectator in the whole affair for a long time and police have been serving gag orders on Raj on an issue to issue basis but havent done much beyond that.
This time post the attack on North Indian students who were in Mumbai to appear for Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams two days back the state was forced to act and detain him. The news spread like wild fire and in anticipation of trouble traffic on the otherwise crowded streets of Mumbai dropped to a trickle.
Apart from Taxis being off the road the overall private vehicles too are less on roads and people are reaching late to offices and in the morning hours the attendence in the offices is low by 50%. People are calling office and checking if it is safe to get their cars or travel by Taxis (that are not there on the roads) or take a bus or a train for the day.
The police convey carrying Raj from Ratnagiri to Bandra Court will pass the following areas and there could be trouble : Mahad, Panvel, Chembur, Sion, Bandra.
Till now Navi Mumbai (Panvel, Vashi etc.) are peaceful and there was enough police presence in Navi Mumbai, Chambur and Parel etc and the vehicles plying on the road were in good shape. Near Kurla there was some smoke arising from burnt tyres left by the roadside.
Keeping in mind media literacy and multiplicity of sources have a look at the following links to get the latest:
Mumbai Maharashtra India, 21st October 2008 4:30 PM
Raj Thackeray gets 2-week judicial custody
Raj Thackeray was sent into two week Judicial Custody by the Bandra Court (Mumbai) and he has been gagged from talking to Media as well as holding public meetings for the next two months. There was a huge presence of Raj supporters outside the court and a couple of media persons were also injured during the clashes of Raj supporters with Mumbai Police.
Mumbai is still on tenterhooks with roads still sporting deserted looks and there are reports of sporadic violence and clashes with police, though the force has been deployed in great force all across the city of Mumbai. There are certain reoprts from other corners of Maharashtra about violence. People who did reach their offices are leaving early and tomorrow is rumoured to be a bandh (public strike). Normal life will get disrupted if such a bundh is indeed called tomorrow.
Further to this one of the students from Patna who was amongst those who were thrashed by MNS workers died and his body was taken to Patna creating protests against MNS.
Raj Thackeray - His role in Maharashtra Politics
A bried profile of Raj Thackeray would read like this:
He is the Nephew of Balasaheb Thackrey - leader of Shiv Sena which is one of the most powerful regional political party in Maharashtra (A west Indian State - Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra). He developed diferences with the manner in which Shiv Sena was being run and floated his own party MNS. He has taken up the issues of Local Populace that was the leading planck of Shiv Sena and over the last two years has followed this path aggressively. Backed by the hunger of Indian Media for sensational stories he has found a way to take the issue of Maratha pride to the national mainstream. As is visible from the 50 plus comments that the story has generated the issue is debated heatedly with both sides not willing to budge from their stance.
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Ravi Dixit
Mumbai, India
Sanjay Jha
New Delhi, India
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (88)
at 21:23 on October 20th, 2008
Ravi Dixit, I like this story. It's good stuff. I think government should have acted much earlier. He was proving to be a trouble maker in Maharashtra.
Please visit our India channel to see the latest news on this important story.
at 21:27 on October 20th, 2008
Thanks Sanjay ji,
I guess MNS is being used by the government (read ruling party) to offset Shiv Sena and thus no action has been taken so far. The objective is clearly to divide the core Marathi votebank.
at 21:49 on October 20th, 2008
Yes, indeed. It is the gameplan but i think MNS had gone too far. You cant create any individual so powerful outside law. He is bring brought to Mumbai court, so please keep us updated.
at 22:49 on October 20th, 2008
Ravi Dixit, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 22:53 on October 20th, 2008
Thanks Anamika
at 23:03 on October 20th, 2008
hi Ravi,
I think this is a real loss that a person like Raj Thackeray is being arrested.
What the people are failing to see is that beyond the violence that man is fighting to for a cause.
There are really few people left with a motive, things like this are not new.
Yes violence in not the way to deal with it, but reservation for the people is also not wrong.
We have minority reservation through out the state, Khalsa college, sabu siddique, SIES and so many more colleges have reservation for people of their state Why cant we have our share of reservation?
at 23:08 on October 20th, 2008
Hi Ravi,
It's a very good story.These things should be stopped.No one can break the law.Raj Thackeray should have been arrested much before but I don't know why the government was quite all this time.
at 23:21 on October 20th, 2008
what do you have to say when people in bihar are beaten to death by entire village just for small thing like stealing.
Where is the law?
Or is the law different for north India and for Mumbai?
there are cases of rape and murder on many people in bihar and other north Indian states who live freely just because they are either relatives of politicians or politicians them selves.
Where is law?
at 23:27 on October 20th, 2008
Hi Sidd, Thanks for your comments. I think citing lawlessness in one part of the country and allowing a politician to create problem for the whole society and challenging the integral fabric of the nation can't be allowed.
at 23:31 on October 20th, 2008
Hi Sid,
Lawlessness in a part of the country cannot be used as an excuse for law not taking its due course in rest of the country. Police in Maharashtra cannot solve problems in Bihar.. can they... ? I guess the issues are not linked...
at 23:36 on October 20th, 2008
Hi Ravi,
"Minorities good" , it sound awkward to hear that People of Maharashtra are minorities in maharastra itself. Reservation is given only to backward classes who are lacking the support of the society and are being hindered in the progress move which cannot be justified for Maharashtra as its the richest state in the country as per the latest reviews of the year of business plus, the state is growing and prospering and so the its people.
And tell me one thing what motive can be justified in beating up the innocent people, pelting stones on layman, in shutting down the buisness, in taking the law and order in hands, and giving a statement that its for the people of maharasta these steps are being chosen.
Not a single freedom fighter ever talked about regionism ever while fighting for a motive of freedom, that is what is known a motive, a motive of glorious intentions and for everybody's good.
All should be brought under control with the intervention of central government.
But I also think thats its just a political move of the congress ruling the Center which has played it very cunningly and brought MNS as a strong answer of shiv sena to divide the vote banks of Marathi people for coming elections.
at 23:37 on October 20th, 2008
very good sotry on thakre episide,
Well whole discussion is moving from introspection to accusition, what we want to be portrayed as......a peace loving civilised country or a band of billion bandits.
at 23:45 on October 20th, 2008
Ravi Dixit, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 00:18 on October 21st, 2008
Thanks Amit and Eustaquio
at 00:32 on October 21st, 2008
A good article with the opinions of a local voiced well. good job Ravi!
firstly, i'd like to apologize for not being on here for such a long time, but hopefully, I shall be around a lot more now :)
Back to topic!
Raj Thackeray can be viewed in two views, depending on which side your political fervour lies. To the maharashtrian people, he might be a godsend as he does *and quite correctly* speak out for their rights and the fact that they don't get adequate representation
for the non maharashtrians, especially north indians, he might be the devil himself, who has made it a personal issue to drive them away from the state of Maharashtra.
I'm a Zoroastrian, and hence as neutral as anyone can be, according to me, it can't be denied that the point Raj is trying to make is actually an issue, and it is in the mind of the common man, and as the leader of a political party, he is well within hisrights to express that. B UT the problem arises when the method of doing that is wrong. it's unconstitutional to chase a fellow indian out of ur state with violence as the means, or to make inflamatory speeches which ignite communal sentiments. Hopefully Mr Raj can find alternate ways to express how he feels, and perhaps that shall get him a better audience and more respect in the eyes of the working middle class which eventually forms the bulk of society.
PS - I just came back from my last exam, and i must say, the security on the road is amazing. There was an incident of a taxi having his rear window being smashed in the morning at Bombay central, but apart from that, and some rumours of some burning tyres being spotted at panvel, the police force is doing a good job so far!
at 00:45 on October 21st, 2008
Where this kind of divide is going to end, or we humans are just fine in searching more and more narrower definition of self,why marathi, or bihari, why not indian?or just simply human being without ant distinction of any kind.we have lost our goal of search for harmony, instesd we waste our time in more and more divide.
at 00:49 on October 21st, 2008
I may be wrong, But one last question.
consider you have a big and fancy place with all the luxurious things in it.
You decide to allow people to live in the place as paying guests.
People live there and flourish a lot.
Then you realize that these paying guests are trying to show their ownership on the place, and not only that it is also hampering your growth.
How long will you tolerate it?
Why does MR Raj (As you say ) have no problem with gujrati people who are in majority in Bombay, or sikhs or christians for the matter.
the point is that "WHEN IN ROME BE ROMAN". If you have shifted to Bombay say you are Maharashtrian.
People tend to tease sentiments of the Marathi people.
remember jaya bachhan commenting during the music launch of Drona. There was no need for the comment. Also Laloo Prasad Yadav challenging to organise chatt puja. Why is the need for Challenge?
Talking about freedom fighters all have broken rules. And history has evidances of it. I dont say Raj Thackery is Freedom fightor but just a comment to what viewers have said.
PS: I dont mean to hurt any ones feeling nor do I think violance is the way to follow.
at 02:17 on October 21st, 2008
Hi Sid,
In a democracy there is ample space for individuals to express their opinions and to top it all there are elections where the opinions can be translated into firm action by the citizens of this country. Cities and countries thrive on migrant populace and that is how the term division of labour was born.
All the countries in the world have welcomed migrants and that is how countries like USA, Germany, Holland have become what they are today. A city is not only for thos who live there but also it has to be visitor friendly in terms of open minded citizens, linguistics etc... If a city or country has to prosper it has to take care of its migrant population. At the end of it it is a supply and demand situation. If cartels are being formed basis regional , political or religious lines that keep the local population out of certain legal means of earning livelyhood that too has to be tacked within the given legal framework.
The trouble is that people stop believing in the legal frameworks for reasons like their past experiences and try to do things their own way using " Might is right" . This is the biggest threat to the stability of a society. Hypothetically if the entire population gets into the habit to settling the issues by this philosophy what will stop them form killing and or beating up the neighbours, people on the street the next time?
I hope you appreciate the point that we are trying to make.
One cannot take actions that are out of context like you do not like the statements of Jaya so you go and take it out on anyone who is there from a particular region. This would be like someone beating you up in NY because a BJP leader from your state took a jab at Bush!!!
at 01:07 on October 21st, 2008
I agree to sidd1234
If you are the land lords of some place you will not happy to see the migrants developing their houses in it.
Also, once it is said by our Ex-CM, that "Maharashtrat Mumbai ahe pan Mumbai madhe Maharashtra nahi ahe" This is 100% true. Mumbai is not at all in Maharashtra. The rules at state level are applicable to Pune,Kolhapur,etc. But why there exists some different laws for Mumbai? If you visit our Electronics City (Bangalore) you will see all big gaints of Global Industry such as Intel, Accenture, IBM, Dell, etc all having displayed their titles in Kannada. This is a national rule that every company trying to locate to any area in India should follow the native language. Why the big Global gaints are not forced to display thier titles in MARATHI? Even they are located in Mumbai?
This is the right time to show our concerns.
at 01:34 on October 21st, 2008
Hi ,
I agree to sidd1234.
Raj Thackeray wasn't the first one who started this issue. A long way back shivsena was behind the same.But for getting the political support while forming the government , they included some of the north Indian leaders, due to which they had to leave the issue.
Now Raj is taking care of this one. He is doing this for a good cause but the way he'z executing it may be wrong. As far as I am concern, I will continue to support him.
Those pple who r against Raj can check Southern part of india. See if you can survive over there or not?
I beleive...u can never!!
at 01:34 on October 21st, 2008
MNS should be dissolved to bring peace in Maharashtra
at 01:37 on October 21st, 2008
I tend to agree with your views Mr Dixit. As part of the population that draws sustenance from the city, I am troubled that someone can take law in their hands risking my life and those of others around me. But what troubles me more is that fact that there are others like Sid n Rohit who are obviously educated, yet behave as if they haven't read a word of the Indian Constitution. Well, I guess till more of them exist, I'll always end up begruding my luck at being a non-maharashtrain in Mumbai.
at 01:38 on October 21st, 2008
Hi Rohit,
Writing or posing your business slogan or your quote or your company's name in the regional language be it marathi or kannad or be it anything is a part of local publicity, a way of advertisement, a way to let the locals understand and know the company's name and buisness . It has nothing to do with the politics or they are showing respect to the regional language or to the sentiments of that state.
Respect is never asked nor snatched it always comes when it has a reason for its existence.
Intel, Dell, Microsoft etc etc are just attracting the locals and getting its name grow as a brand , they are not paying any tribute to the kannada language.
Dont forget that there is absolutely no law or national rule as per your words to follow any regional level sentiments as a law or an order.
at 01:39 on October 21st, 2008
I was just wondering if Raj Thackeray's goons can survive a bit and show their strength at the borders..It would be really nice if these goons show their gundagiri over there! After all Maharashtra is a part of INDIA.
at 01:40 on October 21st, 2008
I don't agree with the points sidd1234 has just said.He is just trying to say that no matter who you are if you are in Mumbai you have to be a Maharashtrian.Other people are also working in Mumbai and they work equal to a maharashtrian.Then why can't they live here peacefully.MNS and other such organisation have no right to beat them up and kick them out of mumbai.They work and they are getting only that amount that they deserve.They are not getting any extra money.If they are succeeding in mumbai then their is no need to be jealous.
at 01:45 on October 21st, 2008
@ Vi$hi
Raj Thackeray goons can survive only in Mahashtra I think so...How about their chances of survival at the India borders fighting enemies?
at 01:45 on October 21st, 2008
I completely agree with Sonu Singh.He is correct to send Mr.Raj's goons to border and see how they show their gundagiri over their.
Well said Mr.Sonu.
at 01:49 on October 21st, 2008
No one is ready to accept the reality that, in long run every identity dissolves with time, marathi or bihari or bhaiji......everyone will dissolve in this fast pace of cultural chages, i dont know any maharastrian who is marathi in true sense........so change is the other name of culture.
as far as thakres preference of gujratis or punjabis is more related to there political funding , and weak strugglers of north indians are not in a position to win there favour in this part.
i dont know , you people know about the pain of being a migrant worker or not, but they are facing trouble from both side.
I am sure that this sense of fear in marathi for loosing identity goes against the marathi spirit of brotherhood and harmony.
at 01:50 on October 21st, 2008
Hi Sanjay,
I totally admire your point and your vision, and would expect these MNS workers (gundas) to prove their guts and respect to their motherland and thats INDIA against pakistani.
Good luck in advance.
at 01:50 on October 21st, 2008
Hi Sonu,
Do you remember a few years back what happened in Bihar??
A large number if Assamese were murdered & beaten up till death, for just one reason- They came to Bihar for appearing for the RRB examination & bihari pple restricted them from entering the state.
just check this link-
http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-dsouza271103.htm