Agencies

Mumbai, Oct 21: The Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate court on Tuesday denied bail to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and remanded him to judicial custody till November 4, in connection with attack on Railway board examination centres.

However, the MNS chief was granted bail in Kherwadi case. Later, police obtained his custody for producing him in a Kalyan court in similar case on Tuesday.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Majid Memon, Raj Thackeray will spend the night in jail.

Memon said, “No one is above law. You might be the star political leader, but you are answerable to court.”

The lawyer said he emphasised to the court “the gravity of Raj Thackeray’s crime.”

The Kalyan police have an option to produce Raj before the night magistrate or to make him appear before the court on Wednesday.

Earlier, Mumbai police issued a gag order under section 144 against Raj Thackeray banning him from addressing a press or public gathering, or carrying out any procession for the next two months.

Police on Tuesday resorted to lathicharge to disperse the MNS workers who were protesting outside Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate court where the party chief Raj Thackeray was produced following his arrest. (

Maharashtra Director General of Police A N Roy said that police will deal "effectively" with those resorting to violence in the wake of Raj Thackeray's arrest.

"We were anticipating violent reaction after Raj's arrest. We carried out large number of preventive arrests. We have arrested around 1,900 persons so far," Roy told a news channel.

"We will deal with them effectively. People can go about their jobs," he said.

Roy also made it clear that Raj's arrest was in connection with attack on Railway board examination centres, and had nothing to do with warrant issued by Jamshedpur court against him for alleged anti-Bihari statements.

Security beefed up in Mumbai to rein in MNS protests

Security was beefed up in the city to thwart any untoward incident following MNS chief Raj Thackeray's arrest in Ratnagiri.

Around 20,000 policemen including State Reserved Police Force and CRPF personnel have been deployed across the city following incidents of stone pelting and violence by alleged MNS activists in suburban Mulund, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Borivali, Parel and Tardeo areas, police said.

Miscreants attacked a toll booth located in the north-east suburb of Mulund and set one of the counters on fire, police said.

Vandals targeted about 25 to 30 taxis parked in the Tardeo area of South Mumbai this morning and broke their windscreens, they said.

Also, two separate incidents were reported in the north west suburb of Borivali where some miscreants attempted to burn trucks, police said, adding they also tried to set an autorickshaw on fire in the suburbs.

Some MNS activists also allegedly tried to block roads in neighbouring Navi Mumbai but were prevented from doing so, police said.

Meanwhile, heavy police force has been deployed near the Bandra court as well as Shivaji Park area in Central Mumbai, which houses Raj's residence and MNS headquarters, they said.

The city also witnessed heavy patrolling at prominent roads in south central Mumbai and areas like Naigaon, Lalbaug, Parel, police added.

“Centre has sent at least three advisories to Maharashtra government in the wake of MNS attacks on North Indians,“ Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.

Raj was arrested at Ratnagiri early Tuesday in the wake of Sunday’s brutal attack by MNS activists on north Indian candidates appearing in a railway recruitment exam. ( Watch )

A case was registered in this connection against Thackeray and his supporters at north-west suburban police station of Kharwadi.

MNS workers attacked 13 railway board examination centres in suburban Mumbai on Sunday to protest against "inadequate representation" to locals.

Raj Thackeray is being produced before a suburban magistrate's court in Bandra and his police custody will be sought, a senior police officer said.

Raj was arrested in the wee hours of today from Ratnagiri district by a team of officers from Mumbai police while he was on a tour in Konkan region.

A case was registered against Raj Thackeray and MNS activists for their alleged involvement in the attack on north Indian candidates appearing for a recruitment exam conducted by the Railways in suburb Kherwadi, city police commissioner Hasan Gaffoor said.

"We did not know whether he would come back to the city or not. Therefore the arrest in Ratnagiri," he said.

MNS activists involved in the attempted assault on candidates have also been arrested and police custody would be sought for all of them, the commissioner said.

Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said Raj’s arrest was not under any political pressure. “Rule of law is in place in the state,” he said.

Thackeray has been charged under sections 153, 353, 336, 425 and 427 of IPC, police sources said.

"Some of the charges are bailable and others are non-bailable and it is up to the court to give the police custody that we will be seeking," Gaffoor said.

Preventive arrests of MNS activists have also been made in large number in order to maintain peace across the city, he said.

While security has been tightened in Mumbai, incidents of violence were reported from various parts of the city.

Taxies parked at Tardeo in South Mumbai were damaged by some unknown miscreants who fled on motorcycles, police said.

Two separate incidents were reported in the North-West suburban of Borivali where miscreants attempted to burn trucks, they added.

Miscreants attacked a toll booth located in the North-West suburban of Mulund and set one of the counters on fire, police said.

There were also reports of some unidentified men throwing stones at the suburban residence of Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam.

The arrest of the MNS chief comes against the backdrop of mounting pressure on the Maharashtra government to rein in Thackeray and his activists.

Earlier, a combative Raj had justified Sunday's attack on north Indians and warned the state that it will have to "regret" the consequences in the event of his arrest.

"Arrest me and be ready to bear the consequences.... you will have to regret," Thackeray, who was attending a ceremony at Bahadursheikh Naka in Chiplun in the state, said.

"If Raj is arrested, entire Maharashtra will be set on fire," he threatened.

On Monday, Mumbai police also received arrest warrant issued by a Jharkhand court on September 30 in a case filed by advocate Amit Kumar against Thackeray for hurting religious sentiments of north Indians by making derogatory remarks about Chhath festival. The petition, filed on February 2, 2008, quoted Thackeray as describing Chhath as "a drama".