By IANS,
Mumbai : Mumbai Police were Wednesday considering serving a notice to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for his allegedly anti-north Indian remarks last week.
According to home department sources, Thackeray was likely to be asked to explain remarks he made at his rally in Shivaji Park Saturday.
They said the police had not given him a ‘clean chit’, though independent confirmation from the police was not available.
Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil held a meeting with top state and city police officials to discuss if any action was required against Thackeray.
The police officials, including Director General of Police A.N. Roy, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor and Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) K.L. Prasad, were not available for comment despite repeated attempts.
In a related development, the Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit president Abu Asim Azmi demanded Thackeray’s arrest under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Speaking to mediapersons, Azmi, a Rajya Sabha member, also alleged that despite assurances, the state government was reluctant to arrest Raj Thackeray, the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.
“If Raj is arrested, the state’s Democratic Front government would lose sympathy of Maharashtrians. If he is not arrested, it could lose on north Indian voters,” he said.
The MNS’s campaign against north Indians, launched in early February, has once again attained prominence in state politics after the Saturday rally of Raj Thackeray.