MNS unleashes violence at Mumbai University

Mumbai, Jan 27: Activists of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) attacked an office of the Mumbai Varsity on Tuesday, Jan 27. They exchanged blows with the security staff of the Mumbai University.

They were protesting against University for not considering Marathi language as an option to Social Sciences and English in the first year BA degree course. Soda bottles were thrown at the authorities in the University, eyewitnesses said.

"A group of men who seemed to be MNS workers barged into an office of the University in South Mumbai and broke the window glasses," Additional Commissioner of Police K Venkatesan said.

To take the situation under control police rushed to the spot. "Our workers had taken an appointment and gone in a delegation to meet the varsity officials, including the registrar, to discuss certain academic issues when the university's security officials at the Fort Campus in south Mumbai refused them entry," said MNS spokesman Shirish Parker.

The issue pertained to a recent circular of the university making Marathi language optional in subjects like Social Sciences. "This is not acceptable to us, we wanted to lodge our protest and get the circular revoked," Parker added.

Police have detained 10 MNS activists, including the MNS student wing leader, Aditya Shirodkar.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)