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Mumbai:
Mumbai police on Monday refused to grant permission to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman
Sena (MNS) to take out a procession to protest the Aug 11
violence during a procession by some Muslim organisations, a top
official said.
Thackeray has declared he would go ahead with the party procession
on Tuesday afternoon
despite the bar.
The police, however, granted
permission to hold a rally at Azad Maidan, Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner (Law & Order) Rajneesh Sheth said.
Hours earlier, Thackeray had rued that barely a day before taking
out the MNS procession Tuesday, the party has not been granted
official permission for it.
"Now it doesn't matter. Whatever happens, we will take out the
procession," Thackeray declared at a media conference Monday
evening.
The MNS hopes to attract over one lakh people to the procession,
including party activists from all over Maharashtra, Mumbaikars
and families of policemen who were injured after a 25,000-strong
procession by Muslim organisations turned violent Aug 11.
The procession will condemn the Aug 11 violence and demand
resignation of Home Minister R.R. Patil and Mumbai Police
Commissioner Arup Patnaik.
Thackeray demanded to know how was the permission granted for the
Aug 11 Azad Maidna rally by some Muslim organisations to Azad Maidan,
which finally erupted in violence and two deaths.
"The authorities had prior information that there could be
trouble, but yet they permitted them to take out such a huge
rally. In contrast, we will only gather at Girgaum Chowpatty
and then take out a peaceful procession to Azad Maidan," Thackeray
said.
He was reacting to a police notice served on the party imposing
restrictions on holding the rally and warning that the MNS would
be held responsible for any untoward incident.
Sheth, however, said that no police notice has been served on the
MNS, but the local police may have issued some preventive
notification in view of the party's programme Tuesday.
Thackeray said he had already informed his party activists to
remain calm and vigilant to ensure that outside elements did not
take advantage of the MNS procession.
Meanwhile, wiser after the Aug 11 experience, Mumbai police have
made elaborate arrangements to handle the MNS procession.
Over 12,000 policemen, supervised by three additional police
commissioners, will fan out on the 5-km long procession route in
south Mumbai.
Sheth called upon people not to fall for rumours and promised to
come down heavily on rumour-mongers and trouble-makers.
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