On Wednesday, the Mumbai police filed an FIR against five Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers for allegedly hurling a paver block at a Café Coffee Day (CCD) outlet in Trombay. The incident occurred because the outlet did not display a nameplate in Marathi. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had announced that, starting November 28, it would take action against shops without a Marathi nameplate.
According to the FIR filed at the Trombay police station, workers from MNS Shakha 144, including shakha pramukh Pawan Pawar, planned to protest outside the Trombay CCD. The police were present at the location in anticipation of the protest.
Around 1 pm, Pawar and several others arrived, protesting against CCD’s absence of a Marathi nameplate. Despite police intervention, Pawar allegedly picked up a nearby paver block and threw it at the coffee outlet’s English nameplate, causing damage.
The FIR states that the protestors fled the scene, leading to the registration of an FIR against five individuals involved in the incident. The accused are identified as Pawar, Madan Gadekar, Hemant Abhnave, Santosh Pawar, and Ravindra Gawas.
The accused face charges of rioting and causing mischief, resulting in damages worth Rs 50, along with sections of the Maharashtra Police Act. Authorities are actively seeking the accused and plan to make arrests soon. Recently, the BMC deployed a team of officers from the shops and establishment department in each of its 24 wards to take action against businesses not adhering to regulations.