Known for its intimidating tactics, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was paid back in the same coin on Saturday, as a group of hawkers assaulted badly MNS' Malad unit chief Sushant Malwade amid its ongoing “feriwala hatao” campaign in and around the suburban railway stations.
Malwade was attacked with iron rods by a group of hawkers at around 3.30 pm, when he had and some other MNS workers had gone to “check” if hawkers were occupying areas in and around Malad railway station in north Mumbai.
Malwade, who sustained severe injuries on his head and hands, was rushed to the nearby private hospital for treatment.
Reacting to the incident, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande claimed that a “mob of 400 hawkers” attacked Malwade, after listening to a provocative speech made by Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam at a rally of hawkers held outside the Malad Railway station earlier in the day. Among other things, Deshpande accused Nirupoam of having incited hawkers to take law into their hands. He demanded that a case be registered against Nirupam and the group of hawkers that attached Malwade.
On his part, Nirupam said that the assault on Malwade took place after a “10 to 15 MNS goondas” attacked a group of hawkers vending at a vegetable market near the Malad railway station and the hawkers retaliated. “The incident happened some time after I had addressed a hawkers’ rally at Malad. Tell me who has given power to the MNS to law into its handsIJ,” the Congress leader asked.
The video footage of the Nirupam’s speech showed him telling the hawkers among other things: “Sometime back, I had asked hawkers what had actually happened. They told me that the MNS workers came and attacked us. Though the police were present at the scene, they did not do anything to prevent hawkers being attacked. Then I told me, if and when MNS workers law into their hands and attack you, and the police do not come to your rescue, then you will have to take law into hands and fight for your rights”.
At the rally, Nirupam charged that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was encouraging the MNS to “take into its hands” and attack “hapless” hawkers.
Deshpande claimed that the MNS did not attack the hawkers as claimed by Nirupam. “Our workers did not indulge in any assault on Malwade. The hawkers attacked Malwade all of a sudden. It was incitement by Nirupam that had prompted the hawkers to assault Malwade,” the MNS leader said.
Meanwhile, the MNS stepped up its campaign against hawkers elsewhere in the metropolis. An irate group of MNS workers went on a ransacking spree at Dadar in north-central Mumbai later in the evening.
In the counter-attack, the MNS workers pulled down and destroyed a large number of carts and make-shift stalls belonging to hawkers occupying the pavements near Dadar railway station.
Available indications suggest that in the coming days, there will be a massive showdown between the MNS workers and hawkers in different parts of the metropolis.