Hawkers issue turn ugly, Cong, MNS workers clash

The issue of illegal hawkers on the railway premises turned ugly on Wednesday when workers of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) clashed with Congress activists at Dadar in central Mumbai.

The hawkers issue gained momentum after a stampede at Elphinstone Road-Parel foot overbridge (FoB).

On Wednesday, the police had to use mild lathicharge to disperse the clashing activists.  

The Congress workers supporting the hawkers protested against the attack on them on the railway premises in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by MNS workers over the past few days.

It may be recalled the September 29 stampede claimed 23 lives and injured 38 people in one of the biggest stampede incidents of Mumbai.

On October 5, Thackeray met  A K Gupta,  general  manager  of  Western  Railway  (WR) and D K Sharma, general  manager  of Central  Railway  (CR) and called upon the  railway  administration to remove encroachments on the  railway  premises.
 
On October 11, he had met BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Ajoy Mehta urging him to clear the hawkers from occupying streets outside the suburban railway stations.

After the meeting, he had given 15 days time to clear illegal hawkers. After deadline ended there were several incidents of forcible eviction  and vandalisation reportedly by MNS workers.

Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam had opposed the attacks on hawkers.
 
Tension still prevails in some parts of central Mumbai and additional security arrangements have been made.