In a tense pre-dawn crackdown, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Avinash Jadhav, the party’s Thane-Palghar district president, was detained by police around 3:30 am on Tuesday, hours before a planned protest rally demanding justice for Marathi-speaking residents in Mira-Bhayander.

The MNS had called for a protest march to highlight alleged discrimination against Marathi families, including issues related to housing, language rights, and increasing communal tensions in the region. The rally was set to begin from Balaji Hotel at 10:00 am and culminate near Mira Road Station. However, anticipating potential unrest, police had earlier denied permission and began issuing warning notices to MNS and Uddhav Thackeray faction leaders by Monday evening.

Despite this, Jadhav had remained defiant, insisting the rally would proceed as planned. In the early hours of Tuesday, a heavy police presence surrounded his residence, and he was taken into preventive custody. Sources confirm he is currently being held at Kashimira Police Station.

In what appears to be a coordinated operation, multiple other MNS leaders and workers from Vasai and Virar were also detained ahead of the protest, raising questions about the scale of police preparedness and intent to clamp down on political dissent.

Jadhav, known for his fiery speeches and grassroots connect, had earlier appealed to Marathi-speaking citizens to join the march in large numbers. “We are not afraid of going to jail for our language and our people. Marathi is not just a language; it is our identity,” he had declared in a video message posted Monday night.

He further alleged that the police were acting under instructions from the state government to suppress Marathi voices. 

The protest was meant to spotlight growing frustrations among Marathi residents who say they are being pushed to the margins in their own state.