Mumbai, Oct 29 (PTI) Mumbai Congress president SanjayNirupam has been booked for addressing a rally of hawkers insuburban Malad yesterday without securing prior permission ofthe police, an official said today.
After Nirupam addressed the rally, workers of theMaharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) who were trying to evicthawkers from outside the Malad railway station were assaultedin afternoon.
Police have arrested seven hawkers under varioussections of the IPC, including 307 (attempt to murder).
"A case has been registered against Sanjay Nirupam atMalad police station for holding the rally without a priorpermission," Mumbai Police spokesperson and DCP Deepak Devrajsaid.
However, it is not clear whether sections of incitingviolence are added against Nirupam.
In his address, the Congress leader had said thathawkers will not tolerate hooliganism of MNS activists.
"I would not tolerate such high-handedness of MNSleaders against hawkers. The hawkers are capable enough toretaliate to any aggression from MNS," he had said.
After the rally, hawkers allegedly attacked MNSworkers, in which one activist received head injuries.
Heavy police bandobast was deployed in the areafearing backlash from the MNS.
After MNS chief Raj Thackeray addressed a rally insouth Mumbai earlier this month over the death of 23 people ina stampede on the staircase of the foot overbridge (FOB) atsuburban Elphinstone Road railway station last month, MNSworkers took upon themselves the task of removing hawkers fromstation premises. PTI AVINSK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.