Raj Thackeray comes out of the RCF police station in Mumbai on Wednesday after being released from detention
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray is on his way to meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today over his party's protest against the toll tax.
Mr Thackeray, 45, was briefly detained by the Mumbai Police yesterday when he was headed to a toll plaza in a suburb in north-east Mumbai to protest against toll tax.
The MNS has been vandalising toll plazas across the state in recent weeks. It says that toll taxes are unfair to commuters because roads are in poor shape and attendant facilities are sub-standard.
The party has declared that it would block major highways in different parts of Maharashtra as part of its campaign.
On Wednesday, MNS activists, including representatives of its women's wing, stormed roads and highways on the outskirts of Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Raigad and Nashik, attempting to halt the morning peak hour traffic. However, the swift action by police ensured that most parts of Mumbai and other cities remained unaffected.
Eight state buses were targeted in Pune and four buses were attacked in Aurangabad. Several commuters complained that their cars were damaged due to the stone pelting. In Navi Mumbai, the police conducted a minor lathicharge to clear roads that were blocked by the worker.
Around 12,000 MNS workers were detained across Maharashtra as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
This latest surge in MNS activity began after Mr Thackeray said at a rally on January 26 that people should not pay toll.
The politician, however, assured the people, "We have decided to exclude schools and colleges from the stir in view of exams. Cities won't be affected by the stir."