20 booked for creating scene at police station in Thane

Thane: About 20 persons, demanding action against a man who had a tiff with a fruit vendor over language, were booked when they kicked up a ruckus at a police station in Thane, an official said on Friday.

In the Mumbra area on Thursday, a man asked a vendor the price of a fruit in Marathi, but the latter reportedly said he did not understand the language and the man should speak to him in Hindi. This led to a heated exchange, drawing a crowd.

A police team arrived at the spot and took the man to the Mumbra police station where a non-cognisable offence for breach of peace was registered against him and he was allowed to go, the official said.

In the evening, a crowd supporting the fruit vendor went to the police station shouting slogans, demanding stringent action against the man. The police then booked the group under Maharashtra Police Act sections tied to unlawful assembly, the official said.