Mumbai, Monday, October 20, 2008: Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday said that his government owns the responsibility for failure to prevent attacks by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on north Indian candidates at Railway board examination here.

What has happened is not good. Such incidents take place because of loopholes in the law. One can’t hold only the home ministry responsible for it, it is entire government’s responsibility, Deshmukh told reporters here today.

He also said that such incidents of vandalism would not be allowed to take place in future.

Earlier, taking a tough stand on the whole episode, the Chief Minister has asked the state police to take stringent action against the MNS activists for their violent campaign against the North Indians and disrupting law and order situation.

In another development, a Jamshedpur court today issued an arrest warrant against Raj Thackeray for a provocative speech he made in Mumbai in February this year.

The Mumbai Police has also confirmed that they have received a non-bailable arrest warrant against the MNS leader, who will be arrested shortly.

So far, at least 10 MNS activists have been detained from central suburban Dombivali and Kalyan for disrupting the exam and preventing candidates from appearing the examination.

Confirming the development, Thane Commissioner of Police Anil Dhere said, we have arrested 10 MNS activists so far from Dombivali and Kalyan under the charges of rioting at the examination centres.

When asked about the candidates being attacked at Thane station in wee hours, Dhere denied the reports. Railway officials confirmed that there was no such incident at Thane station, he said.

Confirming the attack by MNS activists on the examination centres in Mumbai, central railway PRO S Sharma said, We have reports of 13 centres mostly in Dombivali and Navi Mumbai been attacked.

Attackers even tried to tear exam papers and hall tickets of some of the candidates at Nerul in Navi Mumbai, Sharma said.

Despite the disruption the exam was conducted at total 82 centres in Mumbai with the help of local police, he added.

Defending attacks on North Indians, MNS leader Shishir Shinde told that what is wrong if activists were protesting against the ‘inadequate representation’ of Marathi candidates in the exam.

Railway officer should understand the meaning of our protest and allow more Marathi candidates for the examination than the outsiders, Shinde said. MNS activists would meet railway officials soon, he added.

(Agency)