Seven members of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena – who assaulted a Mumbai shopkeeper for not speaking in Marathi, filmed their brutal attack, and shared it online – were released within hours of being detained yesterday evening, sources told NDTV Friday morning.
Maharashtra minister Nitish Rane confirmed their ‘arrest’ in a brief interview with NDTV.
But minutes after he spoke it emerged the seven men had been released hours earlier.
Police sources told NDTV the seven had been detained, but were then let go on bail bonds since the charges against them hold a maximum punishment of seven years only.
Sources said the men – one of whom spoke to NDTV 24 hours earlier, with no attempt to hide his identity, and said the shopkeeper invited the attack on himself – were questioned by the police.
But they were then allowed to leave as the registered offence is a non-cognisable one.