Acting on a Jamshedpur court order, the Mumbai police on Monday arrested Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who is accused of hurting religious sentiments and instigating violence.The MNS chief was arrested today morning by the Shivaji Park police and produced before the Dadar court, where he was granted bail of Rs 15,000, Raj's lawyer Shayaji Nangare told PTI.He was later released on bail.
The MNS, which has one MLA, had backed the Bharatiya Janata Party in the last month's elections to the Rajya Sabha as well as state Legislative Council seats.
The estranged cousins came together to mark the Maharashtra government's decision to scrap a contentious order making Hindi a compulsory third language in the state's primary schools, which they said hit at the Marathi manoos.
A teenager was detained for questioning on Wednesday at Palghar in Thane district for posting 'vulgar' comments against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and the people of Maharashtra on Facebook, said the police.
Accusing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray of hurting the religious sentiments of people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday demanded his immediate arrest for causing divisions in the society.
'I abide by the Constitution.' 'Raj Thackeray does not.' 'His patriotism should be up for questioning.'
The gag order was issued on February 14 following Raj's statements against north Indian migrants that had led to violence in the metropolis and parts of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has stressed the need for overall change in Maharashtra as since the state's formation development was halted.
The court of 1st class judicial magistrate A K Tiwary on Tuesday issued the warrant and directed Thackeray to be present personally in the court on November 17. It also ordered that a copy of the arrest warrant be issued to the Mumbai police commissioner for its execution.
In an open letter, he asked people to lodge complaint with the police by dialling 100 if they are distributed by the sound of 'azaan'.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray, under flak for his strident anti-north Indian campaign, has decided to send letters to every household in the state, urging them to use Marathi in daily life. "Thackeray will pen the letter in Marathi and MNS workers will go to households in the state on February 27 to deliver the letter," a MNS leader said. "In the letter, the MNS chief will urge the people to use Marathi everywhere, including offices, trains and markets."
As the political turmoil in Maharashtra continues to unfold, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shide spoke to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray about the recent political situation in the state, confirmed MNS leader on Monday.
Two things were most notable when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray spoke at the Azad Maidan rally on Tuesday: he clearly didn't want to hurt his Muslim support base in the state and wanted to create a new constituency amongst Maharashtra's police cadre, reports Prasanna D Zore.
Samajwadi Party, whose leaders Amar Singh and Abu Asim Azmi have been the perennial target of Raj's ire, on Monday hit back, demanding that the MNS chief be arrested and charged under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. "Such rogue elements should not be allowed to roam freely, endangering communal and regional harmony," Azmi said.
As the news spread, workers of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray rushed to the spot and cleaned the premises.
Replying to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supremo Raj Thackeray's remarks against him, Amitabh Bachchan has stated that India is a free country and everyone has the right to live wherever they please. This is the first time Bachchan has reacted in public against Thackeray ever since the latter targetted him for being more loyal to his hometown, Uttar Pradesh, rather than Maharashtra, where he has been residing for more than 40 years.
Stepping up his campaign for Marathi signboards, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray warned shop owners, not putting up the boards by Thursday, to face the wrath of his men and asked police to think before lathi-charging his party workers. Raj said he has written a letter to the police, asking them to "think twice" before lathi-charging MNS activists involved in the agitation to enforce the civic body's deadline stipulating Marathi signboards on the city shops.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supremo Raj Thackeray has accepted Amitabh Bachchan's apology, and said that he will take back his agitation against the Bachchan family.
Raj said MNS would contest all elections in Maharashtra.
The Congress-Nationalist Conference Party on Wednesday hit out at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray over the latter's controversial speech at Kolhapur, saying he provides "free entertainment" and should consider taking up mimicry. Reacting to Raj's statement on Tuesday night that people should "cut off the hands" of migrants from other states if they indulge in crime in Maharashtra, NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said Raj was misleading the youth.
Modi should implement the Uniform Civil Code in this country, Thackeray said.
Reacting to Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam's dare to the Thackerays to move around without security, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray blamed Shiv Sena for "making Nirupam big".
An FIR was registered against Thackeray under Section 188 (disobedience to order by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code at the time for violation of a police notice asking him not to stay within the limits of Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation in Thane district.
Praising the Centre for CAA, he said: "I do not understand why Muslims are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. CAA is not for the Muslims who were born here."
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray who is on a 'study tour' to Gujarat showered praises on Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his business development skills.
The Bombay High Court asks Raj Thackeray to surrender before Kalyan court on June 29 after setting aside bail granted to him by a lower court.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray will not participate in the all-party meeting called by the state government to resolve the loudspeaker dispute, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said on Monday.
"Raj Thakeray is like a saitan, who has the habit of making remarks to continue being in the news by hurting people's sentiments and creating unnecessary controversy," a usually soft-spoken Nitish Kumar remarked.
Like this version of Amitabh?
A Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and D K Jain said that Raj Thackeray can approach the concerned high court for appropriate remedy following which his counsel preferred to withdraw the petition.
A local court in Muzaffarpur in Bihar on Wednesday took exception to non-compliance of its October 6 order by Mumbai Police to produce MNS chief Raj Thackeray in the court and issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the Marathi politician for his "hate speeches" against Biharis.
The Congress party extends best wishes to the newly-elected Vice President of India, C P Radhakrishnan, while recalling the words of the first Vice President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, on the importance of free criticism in a democracy.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray on Monday dared Maharashtra government to arrest him and warned the state will have to "regret" the consequences in the event of that.
Fresh non-bailable warrants were issued on Friday against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray by a Delhi court as he failed to appear before it to respond to two complaints accusing him of making hate speeches against north Indians, particularly Bihar natives, in 2008.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday threatened to brand Biharis as "infiltrators" and force them out of Maharashtra if authorities in Bihar take legal action against Mumbai policemen who picked up a teenager from there without informing their counterparts in that state.
Will Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena make its mark in the forthcoming assembly election in the state?
After presenting himself before the court, Thackeray would move an application saying he was surrendering, his lawyer Sayaji Nangre told PTI. After the court grants him custody, Thackeray would immediately move for bail.
A Bihar court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant against MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his alleged utterances "hurting feelings of Biharis and against Chhath festival."
The Supreme Court on Friday expressed displeasure over Raj Thackeray's remarks on people coming to Mumbai from other states.
In a veiled threat to splinter Sena group leader Raj Thackeray, blamed for the recent trouble in Mumbai, the police on Tuesday said it was mulling action against political leaders promoting enmity on grounds of region and language.
