Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) Maharashtra Samajwadi Party President and Mumbai MLA, Abu Asim Azmi on Tuesday strongly criticised workers of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for staging protests in Thane’s Mira Road, calling their actions unlawful and a mockery of the legal system.

This comes after several MNS workers were detained by police at Mira Road, Thane, during a march organised to counter the backlash against the recent ‘slapgate’ incident.

The controversy began when MNS activists allegedly assaulted a shopkeeper for not speaking in Marathi.

The rally, supported by the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti, sparked tension in the Mira-Bhayandar area, prompting a police crackdown.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that while permission had been granted for the rally, MNS insisted on a specific route that posed a risk to law and order.

Speaking to reporters, Azmi condemned the repeated violent behavior of MNS workers.

“They are making a joke of the law. They believe the government will not act against them. In the past too, they have assaulted taxi drivers, and even committed murders, yet there has been no strict action,” he said.

Referring to the recent assault, Azmi added, “They beat up a shopkeeper, who luckily was strong and from Rajasthan. But imagine if it had been a poor rickshaw driver or vegetable vendor. This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated.”

He praised the assaulted shopkeeper for standing up to the attackers.

“He protested the humiliation in front of the entire media, and I commend his courage. However, now MNS workers are protesting against that protest — this is against the law. The government must act firmly. If someone insults Marathi, action should be taken through legal means, not through violence.”

Meanwhile, state Minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik strongly criticised the police for halting the Marathi morcha, calling their actions unwarranted and inconsistent with any official government directive.

Addressing the media in Thane, Sarnaik said, “The police action was completely unjustified. The government has not issued any instructions to suppress a peaceful march held in support of Marathi pride. The way police are detaining people it raises doubts that they are working on some party agenda.”

He added that he would take up the issue with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, expressing concern over the early morning detentions of protestors.

“The way the police stopped the rally and detained people before it even began was unnecessary. Had the march been allowed to proceed peacefully, there would have been no threat to law and order,” he said.

Condemning the police response, Sarnaik said, “This kind of heavy-handedness by the police is unacceptable. If Marathi-speaking citizens had sought permission for a peaceful morcha, the authorities should have granted it. It’s a failure of local level police,” he said.

–IANS

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