Bhojpuri group doesn't want onions from Maharashtra

Ranchi, Nov 1: A Bhojpuri organisation in Jharkhand has demanded a ban on import of onions from Maharashtra in apparent retaliation for the attacks on north Indians by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Mumbai and elsewhere in the western state.

The Bharatiya Bhojpuri Sangh (BBS) of Jamshedpur said: "We demand a ban on the import of onions from Maharashtra."

The organisation said if the ban is not implemented by the Jharkhand government it will stop the entry of trucks carrying onions from Maharshtra. Jharkhand imports onions from Nashik in Maharashtra.

"We will intensify our agitation if north Indians are killed in Maharashtra," said Anad Bihari Dubey, a member of BBS.

At a few places in Jamshedpur, trucks arriving from Maharashtra were stopped and searched by people. The district administration has stepped in to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

"We have come to know that some people want to stop trucks coming from Maharashtra. We will not allow people to prevent movement of trucks. Police have been alerted," R.K. Agrawal, Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum district where Jamshedpur is located, told IANS.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray faces two arrest warrants issued by two court in Jamshedpur after his party cadre attacked north Indians in Mumbai appearing for railway recruitment examinations Oct 19.

In protest, a mob attacked the house of S.B. Borwankar, a Maharashtrian and head of Tata Motors in Jamshedpur, Oct 21.

--IANS