Maharashtra

Mumbai: Activists of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) today attacked several railway stations and 13 railway board examination centres in suburban Mumbai protesting "inadequate representation" to locals and chased away candidates from north India. Candidates from outside of Maharashtra came to attend their papers in Mumbai while MNS activists attacked them with stones and lathis. Many candidates got injured in the attack. About 10 MNS activists later arrested from central suburban Dombivali and Kalyan so far for disrupting the exam and preventing candidates from appearing the examination, police said.

"We have arrested 10 MNS activists so far from Dombivali and Kalyan under the charges of rioting at the examination centres," Thane Commissioner of Police Anil Dhere said. When asked about the candidates being attacked at Thane station in wee hours, Dhere denied the reports. Railway officials confirmed that there was no such incident at Thane station.

Confirming the attack by MNS activists on the examination centres in Mumbai, central railway PRO S Sharma said "We have reports of 13 centres mostly in Dombivali and Navi Mumbai been attacked. Attackers even tried to tear exam papers and hall tickets of some of the candidates at Nerul in Navi Mumbai," Sharma said. Despite the disruption the exam was conducted at total 82 centres in Mumbai with the help of local police, he added.

Later talking to media persons in Delhi, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad condemned the incident and termed MNS leader Raj Thackeray "a mental patient". He also ordered re-examination at the centers where exams were totally disrupted. North Indian were attacked not for the first time in Mumbai. After parting his ways from Shiv Sena, the party talking about 'marathi manus' (Maharashtrian) originally, Raj Thackeray has been taking stern actions against migrants from outside of Maharashtra, particularly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Political observers term his action aiming to grab Marathi votes from rival Shiv Sena. (PTI)