02 December,2023 02:43 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
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A police official revealed on Saturday that the local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena unit (MNS) president and party members are facing charges by the police for allegedly causing damage to shops that do not have Marathi signboards.
The MNS protested on Friday in several locations in Pune, including Tilak Road and JM Road, to draw attention to the lack of Marathi signs in several stores. Social media was flooded with videos of the protests.
The English signage of numerous stores, including those that carried international brands, was vandalised and stones were thrown by supporters of Raj Thackeray's party during the demonstrations.
According to the official statement, nine people - including the head of the city unit, Sainath Babar - are mentioned in the case under section 143 for unlawful assembly, in addition to other pertinent provisions of the Mumbai Police Act and the Indian Penal Code.
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MNS leader Ajay Shinde, had previously told PTI that they agitated and damaged nameplates which were not in Marathi and added that MNS chief Raj Thackeray had asked the Maharashtra government to take action against non-complying entities. Since, they did not, MNS staged a protest, he further said.
Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray, the leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), spoke with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday about issues pertaining to toll collecting and the existence of Marathi signboards at businesses throughout the state, stated a report in the PTI.
The report cited a statement issued by the chief minister's office (CMO) saying that the meeting took place at Varsha, the chief minister's official residence.
Thackeray had recently criticised the state government for allegedly disobeying a Supreme Court order requiring Marathi signboards to be displayed in stores and other facilities. He said that the ruling coalition was only making token gestures towards Hindutva and Marathi issues.
The Supreme Court had already given store owners two months, ending on November 25, to install Marathi signboards. If they didn't, they would have to pay a daily fine of Rs 2,000.
The MNS had previously expressed concerns with the state's toll-collection policies.
