The Colaba Police Station officials in Mumbai have arrested five workers belonging to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after they vandalised one of the luxury buses parked outside the Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, the iconic hotel in Colaba in Mumbai. The bus was meant to ferry players for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 matches. The vandalised vehicle was to be used as a team bus by the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.
According to the police, an FIR was filed at the Colaba police station in Mumbai against 5-6 unknown persons under sections 143,147,149,427 of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly attacking the Delhi Capital IPL team’s parked bus, after which the Mumbai Police took MNS’s Prashant Gandhi, Santosh Jadhav, and another person into custody.
Mumbai | An FIR has been registered against 5-6 unknown persons under sections 143,147,149,427 of IPC for allegedly attacking the Delhi Capital IPL team parked bus, police said pic.twitter.com/aED8Z1Hd5G
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2022
According to the images from the incident, it is seen that the vandalised bus belonged to the Delhi Capitals, as DC’s motto ‘We Roar Together’ was written on the bus’s glass.
Reportedly, the attack was carried out by the Maharashtra Vahatuk Sena, the MNS’s transport wing, for allegedly ignoring local bus traders for the IPL matches. According to sources, the MNS workers were irritated because the contract to pick up and drop off IPL players was not awarded to a local trader.
In the video of the act, shared on social media, four irate workers of the MNS-Vahatuk Sena (Transport Wing) can be seen gathering near the bus shortly after midnight and pasting posters of their demands on the front of the bus. They also raised slogans and after that, smashed the windows of the parked bus.
Delhi Capital IPL team parked bus allegedly attacked#IPL2022pic.twitter.com/hzmdb60yXm
— Himalayan Guy (@RealHimalayaGuy) March 16, 2022
Justifying the act, MNS-VS President Sanjay Naik later stated that they were protesting since buses from outside the state were hired for the IPL tournament, depriving locals of employment opportunities despite the fact that they can provide similar vehicles as needed.
“Despite our protests, they have allowed several buses and other smaller vehicles here from Delhi and other parts, which is affecting the livelihood of the local Marathi people,” Naik told IANS.
Members of the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals team have arrived in Mumbai to begin preparations for the upcoming IPL 2022, which begins on March 26. DC will open the tournament on March 27 at Brabourne Stadium against the five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians.
Meanwhile, the police have increased security around the Delhi Capitals’ hotel in response to the incident.
It may be recalled how in 2020, some Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers had reportedly vandalized the office of the co-director of the Agriculture department in Latur district of Maharashtra. The attack was carried out after several complaints of fake and bad quality seeds were reported.
