The ongoing war of words between the rival Thackeray cousins and their in-house Senas split on to the streets with Shiv Sena and MNS workers clashing outside the Mumbai city district collectorate in the busy commercial district of Fort on Thursday. As usual, the citizenry of Mumbai were caught in the crossfire in a narrow political battle.At noon, MNS activists, who were accompanying party candidate from the Mumbai South Central seat, Aditya Shirodkar clashed with Shiv Sena nominee from South Mumbai Arvind Sawant's workers outside the colonial era Old Customs House.
As supporters from the two parties gathered in large numbers, the imminence of a clash between them was clear, except probably for the police, which took a while to control the situation.Slogans were shouted by workers of the rival Senas accompanied by aggressive flag waving, which soon degenerated into a free for all street battle, with liberal use of stones and soda water bottles and flag staffs being used as sticks.
A glass bottle thrown from the end where MNS supporters stood, hit a cameraman. It seemed directed towards the media covering the slugfest, unless it misfired, because Sena supporters were at a distance and could not be hit.Photographers were compelled to wear helmets to save themselves from the projectiles as police were not able to to do anything until additional force arrived on the spot. Until then, the workers had a free run because some policemen, barring a few in the middle, stood at one side fearing being hit.Both sides maintained that the other was responsible for the unruliness which shut the collector office for some time for citizens. "I had come to renew my license that pertains to certain drugs that require me to have one.
However, I was told I cannot enter the collector office premises now because of the rioting," said Gyan Singh, a 70 year old resident who had come all the way from Ramabai Colony in Ghatkopar.Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray are already locked in a battle of words in the first elections happening after the death of Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.
In 2006, the rivalry between the two competing Senas had also split on to the streets at Dadar with the stretch outside the Shiv Sena Bhawan witnessing street fights.The Shiv Sena accused the MNS of staging this "pre-planned" incident, a charge hotly denied by the MNS, which attributed it to "mob psycology." Sena Rajya Sabha MP and party secretary Anil Desai noted that when they arrived in a procession to file the nomination, MNS workers were present in large numbers in the vicinity of the collectorate and added more police men were present inside the structure than outside.
He hinted that the Congress- NCP may be behind it.Desai, who met Mumbai commissioner of police Rakesh Maria with other Sena and BJP leaders to seek an enquiry, said "MNS workers or doubtful elements" had thrown stones and soft drink and soda water bottles leading to Shiv Sainiks and citizens being injured and charged that however, the police had acted against Sena activists in a biased manner.
Sawant accused the police of being mute spectators even as the MNS workers shouted vulgar and inflammatory slogans.However, MNS MLA and general secretary Nitin Sardesai denied the charge and added that if the violence was pre-planned, the MNS leaders would not have allowed women activists to accompany them. "This is nothing except mob psycology," he added. Describing the clash as an unfortunate incident, Sardesai said "it would be good if both sides avoid this."Ashok Jagdale, senior inspector of MRA Marg police said that 20 activists from both parties were arrested on charges of rioting and unlawful assembly. Another police official added that prima facie it appeared the incident appears to be an outcome of political rivalry.
However, a probe has been initiaited to ascertain the exact motive behind the clash.After the incident, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, who is Uddhav's son, took to micro-blogging site Twitter to launch a frontal attack on the MNS and the Mumbai police for the violence. "So the cranky mns hired goons pelted stones and soda water bottles at our candidate who went to file nomination. Seems so planned.
The worst is the police acted biased and took action on our office bearers who were inside the collector's office when the incident happened. Obv the MNS has no agenda, the South Mumbai CONgress candidate has no chance to win. Cops ordered to side mns. Seems they are hand in hand. Election Commission should take action on the biased police officer and MNS candidate who carried stones n Soda water bottles to fill form," said Aaditya in series of tweets.
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