Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday transferred Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey, following public uproar over a recent incident where a shopkeeper was attacked by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers for not speaking Marathi.
IPS officer Niket Kaushik has been appointed as the new Police Commissioner of MBVV, replacing Madhukar Pandey. Before this, Kaushik was serving as Additional Director General (ADG), Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Pandey has now been posted as ADG (Administration), Maharashtra Police.
The transfer comes a day after a protest march was held in Mira-Bhayandar to defend Marathi 'asmita' (pride). The protest, led by MNS and supported by members of opposition parties including Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), saw dramatic scenes with several activists being detained by police, as reported by the news agency ANI.
On Tuesday, tensions escalated in Mira-Bhayandar as police detained local MNS leader Avinash Jadhav early in the morning at around 3:30 am from his residence in Thane. A prohibitory order had been issued a day earlier, barring him from entering the area to take part in the protest. He was later released.
According to the report, the march also witnessed heated moments when Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik was heckled and forced to leave the protest site by angry demonstrators. The BJP-led state government faced criticism over the handling of the rally, which was organised by the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that permission had been granted for the MNS rally, but the party's insistence on a particular route raised law and order concerns.
