Case filed against Raj Thackeray over his speech on loudspeakers
MUMBAI: Police on Tuesday charged Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray with provocation with intent to cause riot over his repeated threats to protest against loudspeakers in mosques and issued prohibitory orders to thousands of his followers, indicating that chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had decided to deal with his estranged cousin sternly.
Aurangabad police registered a first information report (FIR) against Raj Thackeray and the organisers of a rally in the city, where he threatened to launch an agitation from May 4 if the loudspeakers were not removed from mosques.
In the FIR, Raj Thackeray and party leaders were booked under sections 116 (abetment of offence punishable with imprisonment, if offence be not committed), 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than 10 persons) and section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Separately, home department officials said preventive action under section 144 (2) of the CRPC was initiated against 15,000 workers of various political parties, while 13,000 were served with notices under section 149 of CRPC -- to prevent cognizable offences, police officer may interpose for the purpose of preventing commission of any cognizable offence.
“The police have been taking action as per the law. The people or the parties that try to take law into their hands, they should be ready to face the consequences for it,” said food and civil supply minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal.
This marked the toughest steps taken by the state government since the row over loudspeakers broke out on April 2 during Raj Thackeray’s annual Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Later, during a speech in Thane on April 12, Thackeray appealed to party workers to play the Hanuman Chalisa outside mosques if the loudspeakers were not removed till May 3. The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi has said that the attempt was a stunt to create communal tension but the MNS and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) say they were just asking for the implementation of Supreme Court’s guidelines on the use of loudspeakers.
Raj Thackeray, then a top leader of Shiv Sena, was seen as to his uncle and Sena founder Bal Thackeray. However, Bal thackeray chose Uddhav, his son, over Raj to lead the party. This resulted in Raj quitting party in 2005 to form the MNS, the next year.
The decision to book Raj Thackeray and deal strictly with the MNS agitation, which was due to start from Wednesday, was taken after due deliberation at the highest level of the ruling MVA, said a senior cabinet minister familiar with the developments. On Monday and Tuesday, and discussions were held between Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, home minister Dilip Walse Patil and senior police officials, added the minister.
The FIR said permission for the May 1 rally was given with certain conditions -- limited the attendees to 15,000, maintaining noise level and not giving provocative speeches -- which were flouted.
Later in the day, the MNS chief in an open letter called on people to play the Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques. “The loudspeakers are unauthorized. In fact, many of the masjids too are unauthorized. How is it possible that the government has given authorized permissions to unauthorized masjids to use loudspeakers? And if permissions are being granted, then Hindu temples also need to be given permission to play the loudspeakers. Basically, this is not a religious issue but a social one. People of every religion of this country are exposed to noise pollution,” he said.