Raj Thackeray dares CM to arrest him

Mumbai, Oct 20: Raj Thackeray has dared the Maharashtra Govt to arrest him, after 14 MNS activists were arrested on Monday, Oct 20. Following Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's order, Mumbai Police arrested 14 MNS and Shiv Sainiks a day-after they physically threatened North Indians, who had come to write Railway Board Examinations.
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4:42 PM 10/20/2008

Mumbai, Oct 20: At least 14 Shiv Sena activists were on Monday, Oct 20 arrested by the Navi Mumbai police in connection with the attack on North Indian railway examination candidates on Sunday, Oct 19, following directive of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to police commissioners concerned across the state to deal firmly with the culprits.

Police have also arrested several Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists for manhandling and preventing North Indians, who had arrived in the city to appear for the Railway Board Examinations, at the suburban railway stations and examination centres. The accused will be produced in Vashi Metropolitan Court later in the day, police said.

The activists had allegedly chased away the North Indian candidates after tearing their answer papers, to protest the 'inadequate' representation to the locals, police said.

In November 2003, Shiv Sena supporters had disrupted a Railway Board Examination in Kalyan by preventing candidates from other states to appear in the exams.

Meanwhile, Munna Tripathi, president of Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad, affiliated to the NCP, had demanded arrest of MNS chief Raj Thackeray for the recurring attacks on the North Indians.

According to reports from Nashik, MNS state unit general secretary Vasant Gite and another leader Atul Chandak were arrested in the district today, as a preventive measure against the backdrop of yesterday's attack on North Indian railway examination candidates in Mumbai, Thane and Solapur. Police also confirmed of arresting several other activists of the Party, though the exact number was not revealed, under the statewide drive launched by the police to arrest those involved in the attack.

UNI