MUMBAI: Mumbai Congress on Saturday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to immediately arrest Raj Thackeray, alleging that he was running a party of goons, and criticised the city police of inaction.
Mumbai Congress President Gurudas Kamat said in a statement here that he had demanded Thackeray's arrest immediately on February 2 after the violence errupted. Raj's involvement in the violence that targetted taxi drivers and hawkers belonging to North Indian states, is evident from the media -- both print and electronic -- which reported his actions, Kamat said.
In the guise of speaking for the Marathi-speaking people, Raj Thackeray had let loose his goons on North Indian people merely to be in the limelight at the cost of the innocents, he added.
Kamat condemned the city police top brass for not doing their duty by looking upto the government for directions. The Police Commissioner and other staff in respective areas were fully empowered to take action under the law without any hesitation. An invitation for the marriage ceremony of the Police Commissioner's daughter, which was attended by Raj Thackeray, could be excused as an invite sent much before the violent incidents but the hesitation of the city police to book Raj Thackeray and his goons under the strictest provisions is unexplainable, he said.
It is such inaction and favouritism on the part of the police force in the past which has brought the city police a bad name, which at one time was rated as amongst the top police squads in the world. This makes people loose faith and trust in the Uniform that these officers wear, he said.
Kamat stated that whoever is found guilty of provocative statements to incite people leading to violence and communal disharmony must be booked irrespective of the polical party they belong to.
Kamat also demanded the withdrawal of security cover given to such leaders who provoke and incite which will prove how gutless these leaders are as they would not dare venture out in any agitation if left unprotected.
Kamat said there should be strict directives to those police personnel, who accompany such leaders, that they should file complaints and book the leaders when they hear them giving inciting instructions over the telephone or while talking to their party cadre.
Kamat stated that if the Police Commissioner was looking for evidences against Raj Thackeray or the Samajwadi Party leaders, they should call the police personnel accompanying them as security cover immediately and record their statements, or else to suspend all of them first like a couple of other police officers were suspended, as this would not only help book such 'goondas' but also discipline the force.
