By IANS
Mumbai : A court here Monday sent 23 activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Samajwadi Party to 14 days’ judicial custody for their involvement in the violent clashes that rocked the city Sunday. They were, however, released on bail soon after.
Metropolitan Magistrate R. Agarwal remanded the activists in judicial custody till Feb 18 on s police application. But minutes later, he released them on bail of Rs.3,000 each.
Activists of MNS, the party floated by Raj Thackeray, went on the rampage Sunday during a Samajwadi Party rally addressed by party supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav at Shivaji Park in Dadar, central Mumbai, considered to be the turf of the Shiv Sena.
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan’s residence at Juhu ‘Prateeksha’ was also attacked by MNS activists Sunday night. They came on motorbikes and hurled empty glass bottles at the actor’s former home.
The MNS chief’s controversial remarks on people from north India had led to clashes in several parts of Maharashtra Sunday.
MNS activists attacked several taxi drivers and street vendors, who are mostly from north India. Many shops were forcibly shut down by the violent mob just before the rally – which was also addressed by United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) leaders, including Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.
MNS activists targeted taxis sporting Samajwadi Party flags and assaulted a cabbie.
Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has lodged a police complaint against MNS chief Raj Thackeray for disrupting his party’s rally and attacking workers.