New Delhi: A rally by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and a ‘Savarkar Gaurav Yatra’ being organised by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be taken out in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar today.
This comes days after the city witnessed riots and arson amid Ram Navami violence.
The MVA rally will be held at Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal ground, with speakers being led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole.
"The preparations for the rally are complete. The ground will be filled to capacity and we have also made arrangements to set up equipment for people outside the venue to hear the speeches," Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Subhash Desai said.
A top police official said security arrangements were in place to ensure the rally is held peacefully.
Meanwhile, in a video released on Twitter, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve asked his party workers to assemble for the rally peacefully as there may be an attempt to cause friction among communities.
On the other hand, the BJP’s 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' will kick off from a chowk named after the late Hindutva ideologue, which is just a kilometre away from the MVA rally site.
The march, in honour of Savarkar and to oppose attacks on him by the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, will cover all three Assembly seats and culminate at Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk, a BJP worker said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Girhe said, "The routes and locations of rally and yatra are different. We will deploy nearly 300 policemen for both events to ensure they take place smoothly."
Notably, at least 12 persons, including 10 policemen, were injured after an agitating mob hurled stones and petrol-filled bottles when police personnel tried to control the situation after a clash between two groups near the Ram temple in Kiradpura locality on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.