Thane, July 8 (PTI) Maharashtra transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik on Tuesday said the police mishandled the situation at ‘Marathi asmita’ (pride) rally organised by the MNS in Mira-Bhayandar area.
The march was organised under the aegis of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti (MES) to counter a protest staged by traders recently against the slapping of a food stall owner by MNS activists for not speaking Marathi, officials said.
Members of MNS, Shiv Sena (UBT) and various organisations participated.
Sarnaik was heckled by some protesters at the rally. He faced the wrath of some protesters who accused him of speaking against the interests of the Marathi manoos earlier.
Sarnaik tried to explain that he would always stand by Marathi people but was shot down with “gaddar” slogans.
He later stated that he assigns the primacy to his Marathi identity over his official position.
“I am Marathi first and a minister and MLA later,” Sarnaik stated in a release.
The Shiv Sena leader stated that he participated in the march at the invitation of MES president Govardhan Deshmukh.
The release stated that Sarnaik intervened to secure the release of several activists of MES and MNS, including Deshmukh, who were detained by the police.
He held discussions with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and expressed his displeasure over “mishandling” of the situation by the police.
“Whenever injustice is done to Marathi people, I will forget my position and stand by them. I consider it my moral and social responsibility to ensure peace and protect Marathi identity,” he stated.
Police had denied permission for the protest march citing the potential threat to law and order. However, after high drama on the streets and apparent political intervention, the morcha passed through the original route proposed by the organisers.
Police started detaining MNS functionaries since last midnight to prevent them from joining the rally.
Several activists, including women, alleged that police detained them even though they were protesting peacefully.
Television channels flashed images of women being bundled into police vans while they were shouting slogans against the “high-handedness” of the police. Several activists were detained inside a banquet hall to prevent them from reaching the protest venue.
Sarnaik termed the police action as “wrong” which is not in sync with government directives.
“The police’s action was completely wrong. The government has not issued any such instructions to suppress a peaceful morcha in support of Marathi interests.
“How the police stopped the morcha and detained people early in the morning is unjustified. The law and order situation could have been avoided by allowing protesters to proceed peacefully,” he told reporters in Thane. PTI COR NSK
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