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Nasik, Feb 12: Activists of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena attacked fruit-vendors hailing from north India in the Shalimar Chowk area on Monday, leading to tension in the city.

A handful of MNS activists allegedly beat up the vendors and damaged their hand-carts to protest the likely arrest of their leader and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, police said. Some of the hawkers were injured in the incident and were being treated in government hospitals.

The hawkers were mostly from Uttar Pradesh and have been selling seasonal fruits for quiet a long time.

However, MNS General Secretary Vasant Gite denied that his party members were involved in the attack. On Monday night some unidentified persons attacked industrial workers hailing from UP and Bihar following which many of them have left the city, police said.

Shops in Nasik road in the city closed down following the incident.

City police have deployed force in the areas, police added.