2 Marathi-speaking men attacked by migrants in Thane after dispute; 1 accused held

Thane, Aug 6 (PTI) Two Marathi-speaking men were injured after allegedly being assaulted by some migrants over a dispute near the Bhayander railway station in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday.

The police have arrested one person in connection with the incident which took place on Tuesday evening, leading to tension in the area, and launched a search for others involved in the attack, they said.

A Marathi outfit condemned the attack and claimed it was an attempt to deliberately target Marathi locals.

A video, which has gone viral on social media, shows some persons beating up two men.

The police were examining its content, an official said.

Security in the area has been stepped up and the police have appealed to people not to pay heed to rumours or provocative content being circulated online.

Preliminary inquiry suggested the attack was over some tender-related dispute in the railway premises, Bhayander police station's senior inspector Jitendra Kamble said.

"The two persons injured in the incident are Marathi-speaking, while the alleged attackers are from outside Maharashtra," he said.

The injured persons were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were undergoing treatment.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including attempt to murder, the official said.

"We have already arrested one person in connection with the assault, and teams have been deployed to track down the remaining accused. No one involved in the attack will be spared. We are thoroughly investigating the matter," Kamble said.

Condemning the incident, Marathi Ekikaran Samiti president Govardhan Deshmukh claimed the Marathi-speaking locals were being deliberately targeted.

"Is this Bihar or Maharashtra? When migrants were assaulted in the past, there were morchas and political outrage. What about now, when Marathi-speaking sons of the soil have been subjected to a murderous attack?" he asked while talking to reporters.

He claimed that six-seven men, all migrants with criminal background, carried out the assault just one kilometre from the Bhayander police station.

"They are goondas with heinous criminal records, roaming freely and fearlessly due to lack of police action. The criminals have lost all fear of the police," he alleged.

"First Beed turned into Bihar, and now Bhayander is heading in the same direction," Deshmukh charged while claiming political interference in such incidents.

"We will not tolerate any attack on bhoomi putras (sons of the soil). The life of a bhoomi putra is not so cheap," Deshmukh said.

He demanded that the police invoke the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused and take strict action.

"If the absconding attackers are not arrested immediately, the samiti will launch an intense agitation in the region," he said. PTI COR GK