Raj Thackeray's arrest sparks protests in Mumbai

By Rina Chandran

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Police in Maharashtra arrested Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday after attacks on migrant workers, sparking violent protests and the shutting of some businesses in the financial hub of Mumbai.

Thackeray, who heads the small but vocal MNS, was arrested on charges of rioting, a police spokesman said, and was brought to Mumbai. He will be held in jail for at least two weeks.

Police in Mumbai fired teargas shells and beat protesters with batons after the arrest of Thackeray, the nephew of Hindu nationalist leader Bal Thackeray, who founded the Shiv Sena party.

In 2005 Raj Thackeray deserted Shiv Sena, known for its anti-immigrant rhetoric and belief that Mumbai belongs to the ethnic Marathi community, to form the more militant MNS.

News channels ran pictures of non-Marathis being beaten in Mumbai's streets by MNS workers.

Analysts say the MNS is trying to revive the anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of national and local elections due next year as it tries to hang on to its Marathi support base.

MNS supporters attacked north Indians seeking railway jobs in the city on Sunday, prompting calls for Thackeray's arrest and for the party to be banned.

Hundreds of MNS supporters shouted slogans, stopped taxis and autorickshaws and threw stones at police outside the Mumbai court where Thackeray was brought, the police spokesman said.