Steps taken to protect north Indians

The Maharashtra government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has taken steps for protection of lives and...

The Maharashtra government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has taken steps for protection of lives and religious faith of north Indians and non-Marathis in the wake of an alleged hate campaign launched by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray.

The state said several agitators had been arrested and cases registered against Raj Thackeray for disrupting the Railway Recruitment Board Examination on October 19,2008,and allegedly making derogatory statements.

The apex court was also told that the Chhath Puja,practiced by the people of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh,was held peacefully this year and the previous year in which three to four lakh devotees assembled at all over Mumbai.

This was mainly due to strong punitive as well as preventive action taken by the Mumbai Police, the state said in an affidavit placed before a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and B S Chauhan. The court was hearing a PIL by Delhi-based trader Salek Chand,that claims attacks on north Indians have caused a chain reaction elsewhere in the country.