MNS spokesperson Shirish Parkar was arrested along with 12 other leaders belonging to the party.

Hundreds of supporters who thronged his residence 'Krishna Kunj' in the Shivaji Park area of Central Mumbai and celebrated Thackeray's return by bursting crackers after a court in Kalyan granted him bail.

"He is happy that he has been released from police custody and appealed to MNS activists to mantain peace," Shishir Shinde, general secretary of MNS, said.

Thackeray was arrested from Ratnagiri on Tuesday in connection with cases of assault registered against MNS activists for attacking North Indian candidates appearing for railway recruitment exams.

The MNS leader spent the night in custody at the Manpada police station in neighbouring Dombivali and was produced before a magistrate's court in Kalyan where he was granted bail. On Tuesday, he was granted bail in a similar case by a court in Mumbai.

There are many cases pending against MNS supremo Raj Thackeray.

Thackeray was also granted interim relief by the court in a case where Railway police sought his custody, after which he was released.

Sporadic violence was reported on Wednesday in Mumbai which was by and large peaceful, a day after MNS activists went on a rampage to protest the arrest of Raj Thackeray, as curfew was clamped in the area around the Kalyan court in Thane where the politician was to be produced.

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, stray cases of violence were reported in Ahmednagar district where MNS workers targeted buses breaking window panes in Sangamner area and resorted to arson and stone pelting at several places.

"There were no reports of any major violence in the city and the situation was largely peaceful," Police said.

As they kept a tight vigil on the country's financial capital, Police said they had been given instructions to sternly deal with MNS activists if they indulge in violence after Raj was picked up in connection with the attack on North Indian job aspirants on Sunday.

Curfew has been clamped in the area around the Kalyan court, where Thackeray was to be produced, and the Manpada police station, police said apparently not wanting to take any chances after Tuesday's arson and rioting in Thane.

The police had a tough time dispersing the crowd which had gathered around the police station and were maintaining a tight vigil.

In overnight violence in neighbouring Thane, three persons including brother of a local MNS leader were killed, Thane Police Commissioner Anil Dhere said.

The deaths were reported in the Pisoli village area in Kalyan last night after a clash between two groups.

Miscreants torched an auto-rickshaw in the northern suburb of Dahisar and damaged another in suburban Ghatkopar.

Services on the Central Railway was disrupted for some time when miscreants attempted to block tracks using a cement sleeper near Kalyan station, railway officials said.

MNS actions dangerous for democracy: Political class

New Delhi, October 22:

Even as MNS leader Raj Thackeray walked free on Wednesday, the political class denounced his violent campaign against North Indians as ‘divisive politics’ portending danger for democracy.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused Raj of indulging in ‘divisive politics’ and said his party would fight it out.

"Raj Thackeray is practicing divisive politics. Congress will fight such politics out fully," he told a press conference in Dehradun.

NCP chief and Union Minister Sharad Pawar criticized the violence carried out by MNS in Maharashtra but said there was no need for Central intervention as the state government is already taking action in the matter.

"We say it's condemnable and it should not be done," the NCP leader, whose party is a part of the Congress-led coalition government in Maharashtra, said in Delhi.

He, however, made it clear that the Centre should not intervene but let the state government perform its role. "The Central government doesn't need to intervene in it. They (the state) have the right to assess law and order situation. We don't have the right to talk about it," Pawar said.

On allegations that the state Deshmukh government was not acting appropriately to deal with the issue, he shot back ‘What action should have been taken? 1,800 people have been arrested. Isn't action being taken?’

However, Samajwadi Party accused the state government of adopting a soft approach towards Raj Thackeray and laxity in dealing with the situation.

The state government could have restrained Raj had it been serious, SP leader Amar Singh said in Nagpur.

Sikh radical outfit backs Raj Thackeray

Jalandhar, October 22:

MNS leader Raj Thackeray's drive against North Indian migrants in Maharashtra has found support from radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa which has announced a march on November 1 to highlight among other issues the influx of migrants in Punjab.

H S Dhami, president of Dal Khalsa said on Wednesday that MNS chief Raj Thackeray has been ‘misunderstood by all’.

"He is right in his own way as he is struggling to preserve and protect the culture, language and rights of his own people", he said.

Endorsing Thackeray's approach, Dhami said it was ‘unfortunate that the state doesn't provide suitable environment for non-violent struggle’.

Senior leaders of Dal Khalsa, including Kanwarpal Singh and Manjinder Singh, pointed to the migrant population in Punjab and asked the Punjab government to regularise migrants.

They said demographic change in Punjab seemed to be ‘alarming’ due to ‘heavy influx’ of migrant population into the state.

The leaders said Dal Khalsa perceives that like Assam and Maharashtra the ‘outsiders’ issue is going to quickly emerge in Punjab also.

"All political parties, pursuing narrow political ends are oblivious of the social, cultural, religious and political damage done to Punjab by their unmindful support to the migrant population," the Dal Khalsa alleged.

"What is the need to facilitate the making of ration cards and voter identity cards of the migratory population? Why can't landlords and industrialists employ the teeming unemployed Punjabis?" the Dal Khalsa leaders said adding ‘the so-called developmental process that we see all around is benefiting only non-Punjabis and unscrupulous leaders of Akali Dal Badal and Congress’.

The Dal Khalsa would take out a march of party activists from Hoshiarpur to Jalandhar after performing rituals in memory of those killed during 1984 anti-Sikh riots.