Lawyers seek action against MNS for attacks on non-Marathi speakers

Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) Three city-based lawyers wrote a letter to the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) on Monday, seeking legal action against the MNS over recent attacks on non-Marathi speaking people allegedly by the party workers.

The letter cited Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's speech at a rally in Worli area of Mumbai on July 5.

It claimed that Thackeray made inflammatory and inciting statements against non-Marathi speaking people, which resulted in the party activists taking an aggressive stance against common citizens, assaulting local shopkeepers, and threatening them.

Stating that the unity, peace and integrity of the nation was being threatened due to such incidents, the letter has requested police to take action under the National Security Act (NSA) against the main conspirators and "anti-national" elements.

The letter, written by advocates Pankaj Mishra, Nityanand Sharma and Ashish Rai, has described such incidents as "serious and unlawful situations that threaten social harmony and the law and order".

Emphasising that it is the duty of every Indian to respect Marathi language, the letter alleged that in recent days, the MNS workers have been involved in acts of assault, threats and public humiliation of non-Marathi speaking individuals residing in the state.

Such incidents are a serious threat to national integrity, coexistence, and a law and order situation has arisen not just in Maharashtra, but across the entire country, it claimed.

The letter urged the DGP to launch a probe into the speeches and violent actions of MNS leaders and party activists who have been given police protection.

Legal action should be taken against those found guilty of creating an atmosphere of fear, which will harm future harmony, and those who make unconstitutional statements should be punished, the letter said.

MNS activists recently thrashed a sweet shop owner in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for not speaking Marathi.

Earlier this month, MNS workers damaged the glass door of Mumbai-based share market investor Sushil Kedia's office in Worli after he declared he would not speak Marathi and dared the party chief Raj Thackeray.

On July 5, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS head Raj Thackeray shared a stage here for the cause of the Marathi language, and vowed to oppose the “imposition” of Hindi in Maharashtra after the state government rolled back the GRs on the introduction of Hindi as a third language in primary schools. PTI AVI GK