(MENAFN- Live Mint) Mira-Bhayandar Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey was transferred on Wednesday, July 9, days after some Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers got embroiled in a controversy over slapping a non-Marathi speaker business owner after he allegedly refused to speak the language. Niket Kaushik has been appointed the new Police Commissioner of Mira-Bhayandar.

Madhukar Pandey has been appointed Additional Director General of Police (Administration), Maharashtra Police.

The action against Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey comes a day after a protest march, led by the MNS and other groups to defend the Marathi 'asmita' (pride) following the attack on the shopkeeper for refusal to speak Marathi , was also held in Mira-Bhayandar.

High drama had unfolded in the Mira-Bhayandar township near Mumbai on Tuesday, July 8, as the march witnessed detention of several activists by the police with leaders and workers of opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) also joining the protest.

Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik, who had joined the protest, was heckled and driven away by angry demonstrators as he visited the site to express solidarity.

The BJP-led state government faced flak over the handling of the morcha, organised by the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti.

Tuesday started with the police detaining local MNS leader Avinash Jadhav from his house in Thane at around 3.30 am. A prohibitory order was issued against Jadhav by the police on Monday, restraining him from entering Mira Bhayandar to participate in the rally. He was released later in the day.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stepped in saying permission had been granted for the MNS rally, but the party insisted on a specific route which posed law and order challenges.

(With PTI inputs)

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