Mumbai: Illegal hawkers beaten up by MNS party workers at Thane station. Photo by BL SONI Mumbai: Vakola police arrested six MNS workers, including its youth leader Akhil Chitre, just a day after they forcefully evicted hawkers outside Santa Cruz (east) station and destroyed their wares.
The zonal deputy commissioner of police Anil Kumbhare said, “All of them have been booked for rioting, mischief, unlawful assembly and intimidation under Indian Penal Code as well as under relevant provisions of Maharashtra Police Act.”
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The MNS workers forcefully evicted number of hawkers near Santa Cruz station on Sunday. The police said one of the hawkers registered a complaint at Vakola police station on Sunday evening. Acting on the complaint, police arrested Chitre, Sandesh Gaikwad, Hemant Gaikwad, Vinal Dahikar, Chandrashekhar Madav and Vishal Shirwadkar on Monday morning.
All of them were produced before court and sent to judicial remand. Immediately, they were released on bail bonds of Rs 5,000 each on Monday evening. In a separate case, Dahisar police had arrested 12 MNS workers on Monday who were later in the day released on bail.
The MNS leaders started this eviction drive after the Elphinstone Road stampede in which 23 commuters lost their lives. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had given an ultimatum to the Railway administration and Railway Police to remove illegal hawkers from the stations in a rally.
