FIRs lodged against Raj Thackeray, Abu Azmi

“We have registered offences against Raj Thackeray and Abu Azmi at Vikhroli and Shivaji Park police stations respectively for the speeches delivered by them at these places. They have been booked under sections 153, 153 (A), 153 (B) and 117 of the IPC.

The FIRs have been filed against them for making provocative statements, dividing people on grounds of region, threatening to distribute weapons, and for trying to cause riots,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K L Prasad, adding the arrest was at the discretion of the investigating officers in both the cases.

Investigations in both cases began last evening, he said. Under section 153 (A), a person can be sentenced to a maximum punishment of three years rigorous imprisonment along with a fine.

“No politician in the country is above the law, and we are not worried about the consequences of arresting anyone. If necessary, we will call the Army in,” said Prasad.

“Besides this, we have also banned Thackeray and Azmi from holding press conferences or rallies in the city for the next seven days,” he said.

“Once arrested, they cannot be released on bail by the police and will be produced in court,” Prasad said.

On the delay in registering the FIRs, he said the police did not want to take action for short-term gains. “We were consulting senior lawyers, and were seeking different opinions before registering an offence. As one of the lawyers we were consulting was unwell, we lost a few days,” he said.

Elaborating on some of the sentences in both speeches which attracted sections of the IPC, Prasad said: “One of the leaders said that he would distribute lathis among his supporters, to which the other retaliated by saying that he would distribute swords”.

Meanwhile, on the FIR registered against Thackeray by Amar Singh, he said that police have gone through television footage, but cannot find any explicit threat.

“That is why we have sent a letter to Amar Singh to find out the time and the exact manner in which a threat was issued to him allegedly by Thackeray,” said Prasad.