Holding infiltrating Bangladeshis responsible for the Aug 11 violence in Mumbai, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray Tuesday warned that such incidents would not be tolerated.
He also sought the resignation of Home Minister R.R. Patil and Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik for failure to foresee and control the violence, which left two people killed, and 45 policemen and many others, including mediapersons, injured.
Addressing a public rally at Azad Maidan after a five-km-long procession, Thackeray said that some of the participants in the Aug 11 procession, organised by Raza Academy and other Muslim organisations, had the gall to attack the policemen and mediapersons on duty.
Seeking to prove his point, Thackeray flashed what he claimed was a green coloured passport found from the venue and purportedly belonging to a Bangladeshi, and said that the Muslim procession had many outsiders who dared to attack police and media-persons.
"This will not be tolerated and limits cannot be crossed. Anybody who dares to raise their eyes against Maharashtra, we shall not tolerate," Thackeray thundered.
He said it was surprising the police and home department remained ignorant of how well-prepared the Muslims had come with iron rods, sticks and stones during the procession and demanded that the home minister and city police chief quit.
"If they have an ounce of shame, they should immediately quit," Thackeray said to widespread applause from the gathering.