Raj blames Patil, Mumbai top cop for Aug 11 violence

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday slammed the state home minister, R R Patil, and City Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik for the August 11 violence at Azad Maidan during a rally organised by various Muslim organisations. Demanding Patil’s and Patnaik’s resignations, Raj alleged the police were aware that the August 11 rally would turn violent, but still did not take necessary precautions.

The MNS gathered at Girgaum Chowpatty and then organised a rally at Azad Maidan to protest against the August 11 violence, in which two persons were killed and more than 60 people, mostly police personnel, injured. On Tuesday’s rally went off peacefully amid strong police bandobast.

At the rally, Raj highlighted the Mumbai Police’s inept handling of the August 11 violence in which the protesters allegedly burnt police and media vehicles and molested woman constables. The MNS chief warned that his party would not tolerate any attack on the police, media and on any community in future.

Raj claimed those who had gathered for the rally, organised by the Raza Academy and other Muslim organisations, at Azad Maiden on August 11 were outsiders. To prove his point, he showed a passport, believed to be of a Bangladeshi national, found at the Azad Maidan.

Addressing the gathering, Raj at the outset declared that he understands only Maharashtra Dharma and no other religion.

Before entering the Azad Maidan, Raj had gone to Girgaum Chowpatty, where he had earlier planned to lead a march to the Azad Maidan. As he reached Girgaum Chowpatty, thousands of MNS supporters who had gathered on the beach poured out to the middle of the arterial Marine Drive, holding party flags and raising slogans. Traffic on this stretch came to a grinding halt for some time.

MNS had permission to only hold a protest meeting at the Azad Maidan, and not a rally, police said. But Raj Thackeray declared that his party would take out a march as well. The police have served the MNS chief a notice under Section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and have asked him not to make any inflammatory speech.

The police had made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident. A total of 15,000 police personnel were deployed across the city.

On Tuesday's MNS show comes close on the heels of Monday’s march organised by Shiv Sen's executive president, Uddahav Thackeray, to the Amar Jawan Jyoti that the rioters attempted to desecrate on August 11.