India’s entertainment hub of Mumbai was placed on high alert on Monday following an attack on Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan’s home amid a regional party’s campaign against north Indian migrants in the city, media reports said.
Two youths on a motorcycle shouted abuses and hurled glass bottles at Bachchan’s residence in Mumbai, the capital of western Maharashtra state, on Sunday night, the NDTV network reported.
The Bachchan family originally hails from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Mumbai, home to the Hindi film industry, is popularly known as Bollywood.
Police told the reporters that security was increased outside Bachchan’s houses and other sensitive places following attacks by activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) targeting taxi drivers from northern Indian states in the city on Sunday.
Security and vigil has been increased in areas with a large North Indian population. The police are ready to face any eventuality, senior police official R Pawar told NDTV.
Police patrols were stepped up to prevent possible attacks on other migrant workers, including milkmen and hawkers, many of whom are from northern India.
The attacks followed a spat between MNS leader Raj Thackeray and Bachchan’s wife Jaya Bhaduri, a politician from the Samajwadi Party (SP), which has its base in Uttar Pradesh. In statements over the past few days, Thackeray questioned Bachchan’s loyalty to the state, saying the film star preferred his native Uttar Pradesh over Maharashtra for opening a girl’s college.
Thackeray launched the MNS in 2006 after parting ways with another regional party known as the Shiv Sena.
The MNS ideology is not much different from the parent party, which believes that Maharashtrians are superior in race and culture to others in India and deserve more rights in the state than the migrants.
Earlier on Sunday, MNS supporters clashed with workers of Samajwadi Party injuring four people and damaging a number of vehicles, local media outlets reported.
Police also had to stop the screening of a north Indian film at a Mumbai cinema hall after Thackeray’s supports attacked the theatre. Over 40 MNS workers were arrested for rioting and scheduled for arraignment later on Monday.
The series of mob attacks have dented the image of Mumbai as a city known for its composite culture and inclusiveness. The situation was tense in the metropolis as concern rose over the violence.
These attacks are carried out by anti-nationals on the instance of political leaders.
The common man is not involved and does not want such violence to happen, a tea-stall owner told TV channels.