Acting upon a complaint filed against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for inciting communal violence, Mumbai Police on Wednesday went to his residence in Dadar and recorded a statement from him.
The development sparked off speculation that the MNS chief might be arrested and produced before the court in Vikhroli in suburban Mumbai.
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Dozens of MNS workers have been detained by the police since Tuesday night in anticipation of trouble in the event of Raj Thackeray's arrest.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, who cut short his Vidarbha tour, met top police officials in state secretariat.
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who is in his hometown Latur, is expected to return to the city later in the day.
The police has given ample indication that arrests of Raj Thackeray and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi are mandatory as they have been charged under cognizable and non-bailable offences.
Stray incidents of stone throwing and arson were reported from the metropolis and other parts of the state as the campaign against north Indians by the MNS entered the tenth day.
Police said on Tuesday night, three taxis and a BEST bus were damaged in the stone pelting at Goregaon, Bhoiwada, Deonar and Bhandup areas respectively in the metropolis.
Police have registered cases but no arrest had been made so far.
The state government has requisitioned paramilitary forces to meet any eventuality and security has been beefed in different parts of the city in case they are arrested.
Incidents of stone pelting and assault were also reported from Nashik, Pune, Jalna, Beed, Aurangabad and Latur towns. Public property, including state transport buses were targeted in most of the cases.
The city police had registered cases on Sunday night against Thackeray and Azmi at separate police stations under section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (promoting enmity between groups on the basis of places of birth, residence etc) 153 D (assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 117 (abetting the commission of any offence by the public) of the Indian Penal Code.
