28 June,2009 07:47 AM IST | | Varun Singh
LAST October, Kalyan hit the headlines thanks to Raj Thackeray, whose arrest sparked riots across the city. Once again, Thackeray has to appear before the court in Kalyan on Monday for the bail and residents are so worried that they are taking precautions.
Last year, nearly a dozen vehicles were torched and there were incidents of stone pelting reported. The police had a tough time handling supporters of Thackeray's party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Suresh Warrier (38) has been parking his scooter for the last four years near the station. Last October, he was on leave, so nothing happened to his vehicle. "But I am not going to take it to the station this time. It's better to go by rickshaw than suffer losses," says Warrier.
Siddharth Raja who, parks his scooter at a public parking lot, says, "I'll assess the situation. If it's bad, I won't take my vehicle."
Office goers are thinking of leaving for work before the court session starts. "It's better to leave Kalyan early. Who knows what will happen," says a resident. However, the police is confident that nothing will happen on Monday. Sanjay Shintre DCP Zone III, under whose jurisdiction the area comes, says, "We will have the same security level that was there when he was arrested. There is nothing to worry about."
Why Raj needs bail
Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court rejected Raj Thackeray's bail and ordered him to surrender on June 29 before the Kalyan court for the case of the railway examinees attack last year.
