Mumbai: Workers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Saturday got thrashed by a mob of around 100 vendors in Mumbai’s Malad Railway station area.
The Raj Thackeray led party members went to the station for checking the encroachment near Western Line, where they were beaten up by rods and sticks as they tried to evacuate the hawkers. The MNS is known for going after the migrant labourers in Mumbai, and for the first time, MNS workers have got thrashed like this.
Four party workers got injured in the clash that occurred at 3:15 pm, a police officer said as per International Business Times.
“While one of them suffered a fracture on the head, three others sustained minor injuries and were admitted at Janvi Hospital in Malad (W). At least four attackers have been detained and we are in the process of registering a case of rioting in the matter,” the police official added.
MNS general secretary Sandip Deshpande was detained by the police after around 300 party workers, for a retaliation, went to the Malad station in evening for driving away the remaining vendors.
Post the incident, MNS blamed Congress for sparking a protest against them by conducting a rally on Saturday morning for the vendors.
Whereas, Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said: “We have conducted rallies to support hawkers and MNS party workers should stop assaulting them. Hawkers retaliated in self-defence, which is their right. The chief minister should look into the issue and give justice to North Indians who are suffering due to MNS. The police should ensure that there is peace in the region.”
The anti-migrant/anti-outsider campaign was launched by Thackeray in 2008 to target hawkers from North Indian states in 2008.