From 3 February 2008, activists of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) clashed with Samajwadi Party workers in Mumbai, and attacks on north Indian taxi drivers, vendors and workers spread across Maharashtra. A second wave in October 2008 targeted candidates from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh arriving for railway recruitment exams. Thackeray was arrested twice that year and bailed both times; at least eight deaths were linked to the two waves in news and NHRC reports. In May 2026 a Thane court acquitted him in the main railway exam case.
Background
The MNS was formed by Raj Thackeray after he split from the Shiv Sena, his uncle Bal Thackeray's party. It campaigned on jobs and priority for Marathi speakers in Maharashtra Al Jazeera. In early 2008 Thackeray made public remarks about migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and about actor Amitabh Bachchan, which drew a public reply from Jaya Bachchan Tribune. This page does not repeat the content of those speeches.
February 2008: clashes in Mumbai
On 3 February 2008 MNS activists clashed with Samajwadi Party (SP) workers at an SP rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar, which was to be addressed by Mulayam Singh Yadav ANI. The Tribune reported that MNS activists also attacked north Indian taxi drivers and ransacked a cinema screening a Bhojpuri film that day Tribune.
Arrest figures for the first clash vary by source. UNI reported more than 25 MNS activists arrested for rioting UNI; the Tribune said 23 people from both parties were booked and bailed Tribune; ANI later put the total at 73 MNS and 19 SP workers ANI. SP general secretary Amar Singh filed a police complaint against Thackeray for criminal intimidation UNI.
Over the next ten days the attacks spread. Police reported taxis and a BEST bus stoned and a motorcycle burnt in Mumbai, and taxi drivers stayed home out of fear UNI. Shops and homes of migrants were damaged in Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad and Beed, and migrants began leaving those towns Tribune.
Thackeray's first arrest, 13 February
On 13 February police recorded Thackeray's statement at his Dadar home and produced him before a magistrate at Vikhroli. He was charged with promoting enmity between communities and granted bail on a surety of Rs 15,000 that evening. SP Mumbai chief Abu Azmi was arrested on the same charges and bailed for Rs 10,000 Tribune ANI.
Violence followed the arrest. Police baton-charged MNS workers outside the court, and buses were stoned in Nashik ANI. One man died in Nashik after a bus was stoned, according to police quoted by Al Jazeera and the Tribune. The Tribune reported more than 200 MNS activists arrested in Mumbai and at least 10,000 migrants leaving the city Tribune Al Jazeera.
The National Human Rights Commission later named two people who died on 13 February: Vinod Singh, a security guard killed when a Jindal company workers' colony in Nashik was attacked, and Amba Das, fatally injured when a bus carrying HAL employees was stoned on the Mumbai-Nashik highway NHRC. By March the state had barred Thackeray from speaking in public and issued him a notice on extending the gag Tribune.
October 2008: the railway exam attacks
The second wave began around the Railway Recruitment Board exams of 19 October 2008. Arab News, citing police sources, reported that candidates from north India sleeping at Thane station on the night of 18 October were attacked, and that similar attacks hit candidates at Sion, Bhandup, Kanjur Marg, Andheri, Kalyan, Dombivli and other stations. It reported that Shiv Sena workers later joined in, entering exam centres and tearing question papers Arab News. Police said more than 30 MNS activists were arrested in Dombivli, Thane, Andheri and Nala Sopara for disrupting the exam ANI.
Pawan Kumar, a candidate from Nalanda district in Bihar, died at Andheri. Mumbai police called his death accidental; his father told the Tribune that callers from Mumbai said he had been hit on the head by MNS workers Tribune. Claim · Family
Thackeray arrested
He was arrested in Ratnagiri. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said the decision was "not a sudden decision" and that "nobody is above law" ANI.
Bail in one case, custody in another
Produced at Bandra court, he got bail in a Kherwadi case but was held in the Kalyan case and spent a night in jail OneIndia. Police also barred him from public speeches and processions for two months, the Christian Science Monitor reported, citing The Times of India CSM.
Rioting after the arrest
MNS workers burnt buses and stoned taxis and autorickshaws. The National and OneIndia both reported three deaths in the rioting The National OneIndia.
Released on bail
A Kalyan court granted interim bail OneIndia. On 24 October the Kalyan Sessions Court extended his protection from arrest until 11 November Tribune.
Third arrest
Mumbai police arrested him on a Jamshedpur court warrant over remarks about Chhath Puja; he was bailed on a Rs 50,000 personal surety OneIndia.
The Rahul Raj shooting
On 27 October 2008 police shot dead Rahul Raj, 23, from Patna, on a BEST double-decker bus on route 332 near Bail Bazar, Kurla Tribune. (The NHRC's notice gives the date as 22 October; contemporary reports say 27 October NHRC.)
Claim · Police Police said he pulled a pistol on the conductor, fired rounds, said he wanted to pass a message to Raj Thackeray, and fired at officers when asked to surrender. A team led by ACP Mohammad Javed fired back. A passenger, Manoj Bhagat, was injured Tribune UNI. Additional Commissioner Sadanand Date backed the officers OneIndia.
Claim · Family and Bihar government His father, Kundan Pratap Singh, said he could not believe his son had a pistol; Patna's SSP said Rahul had no criminal record. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar accused Mumbai police of excessive force Tribune. A forensic panel at J J Hospital found five entry wounds in the chest and head, fired from close range, and said 12 to 13 rounds were fired, according to OneIndia; the report had not been made official OneIndia.
Deshmukh ordered an inquiry by Chief Secretary Johny Joseph, who invited the public to give evidence UNI. The NHRC sought the inquest and post-mortem reports NHRC. On 14 November a Patna magistrate ordered an investigation into the killing on a lawyer's complaint, and OneIndia reported that charges would be filed against two police officials OneIndia. Rahul's family and the Bihar government sought a CBI probe Tribune. The findings of the Joseph inquiry were not found in the reporting reviewed for this page.
The train killing of 28 October
Dharamdev Rai, 25, a factory worker from Uttar Pradesh, was beaten to death on a Khopoli-CST suburban train on 28 October IANS via Gulf News. UNI described the attackers as allegedly MNS supporters UNI. Government's position State Home Minister R.R. Patil said it was not a hate crime but an argument over seats, and Railway DGP K.P. Raghuvanshi said it was not related to the MNS attacks IANS Tribune. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad announced Rs 3 lakh and a railway job for his widow UNI.
Reactions in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
Students protested at Patna Junction on 21 October, blocking tracks and filing an FIR against Thackeray; Nitish Kumar announced Rs 1.5 lakh for Pawan Kumar's family Tribune. On 22 October students set fire to five coaches of the Bhagalpur-Delhi Express at Khusropur after passengers were made to leave OneIndia. The National reported that a 10-year-old boy in Bihar was killed when police fired on protesters The National.
Pawan Kumar's father filed a murder complaint against Thackeray in the Biharsharif CJM court, and other complaints were filed across Bihar. Nitish Kumar wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking intervention Tribune. Five JD(U) Lok Sabha MPs submitted resignations on 7 November; the BJP, its ally in Bihar, called that step uncalled for UNI. In Uttar Pradesh, SP activists burnt Thackeray's effigy in Lucknow Tribune, and Amar Singh complained to the NHRC NHRC.
Both accounts
MNS account
MNS activists told reporters in February that the violence was not ordered by the party and was a spontaneous outburst Al Jazeera. Thackeray blamed provocation by SP and RJD leaders Arab News. After the 2026 acquittal the party said Marathi youth were not told about railway exams while candidates from other states were recruited, that the MNS "gave voice to that anger", that the cases were false and politically motivated, and that the clash began with an altercation with an outstation candidate Deccan Herald.
Maharashtra and central government account
On 3 February Deshmukh said "Violence against any community will not be tolerated, be it on migrants or on any others" UNI. In March he said "Discrimination on the basis of Marathi and non-Marathi is not acceptable to the Maharashtra government" Arab News. On 21 October Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil told the Rajya Sabha that the Centre had sent the state notices on 19, 20 and 21 October, which he said were sent under Article 355 though the letters did not cite it, and that the Constitution lets any citizen work anywhere Tribune. In February the Centre sent extra paramilitary forces Tribune.
Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha demanded that Articles 355 and 356 be invoked against the state. Shiv Sena MP Manohar Joshi instead called for preference to locals in railway jobs Tribune.
Courts and the NHRC
In June 2009, after the Bombay High Court set aside his anticipatory bail in the Kalyan case, Thackeray surrendered and was bailed; the court said custodial interrogation was not needed ETV Bharat PTI via Deccan Herald.
On Thackeray's plea that he faced a threat to his life in Bihar and Jharkhand, the Supreme Court moved the complaints against him there to a Delhi court. In September 2012 that court issued fresh non-bailable warrants when he sought exemption from appearing PTI via India TV.
In 2010 the NHRC found that the Maharashtra government "failed to take timely action for the protection of citizens". It recommended Rs 5 lakh each for the families of Vinod Singh and Amba Das, against the Rs 1 lakh the state had paid NHRC.
It is unfortunate that the State Government did not muster the political will to rein in the divisive forces and failed to take timely action for the protection of citizens.
NHRC proceedings, quoted in its press release of 18 March 2010
Where things stand in 2025-26
A chargesheet in the Kalyan station case was filed only in 2019. Thackeray pleaded not guilty before Thane Chief Judicial Magistrate A.V. Kulkarni on 11 December 2025 ETV Bharat. On 21 May 2026 the court acquitted him and five others; two of the eight accused had died Deccan Herald.
The court said witnesses could not identify the attackers, injuries could have come from a stampede, and the CD of the speech was never produced and was "left gathering dust" at the police station from 2013 to 2026 Pioneer. No appeal had been reported in the sources reviewed. The outcome of the Delhi cases and of the Rahul Raj inquiries was not found.
By 2018 Thackeray had begun reaching out to north Indian groups in Mumbai, after the MNS fell from 13 Assembly seats to one in 2014 Scroll. Language disputes involving MNS workers returned in 2025 (see the 2025 Hindi row).
- Deaths linked in reports: Two in Nashik on 13 Feb 2008 (NHRC); Pawan Kumar; three in the 21 Oct rioting; a boy in Bihar police firing; Rahul Raj; Dharamdev Rai (link to MNS disputed by police).
- Arrests: Thackeray on 13 Feb, 20-21 Oct and 15 Nov 2008, bailed each time; 1,861 people for the October violence, per the Centre.
- Inquiries: Chief Secretary's inquiry and NHRC notice on Rahul Raj; NHRC finding against the state in 2010.
- Court: Thackeray acquitted in the Kalyan railway exam case on 21 May 2026.
Questions people ask
What started the 2008 MNS agitation?
Tension built after Raj Thackeray's remarks on migrants in early 2008, and on 3 February MNS activists clashed with Samajwadi Party workers at a rally at Shivaji Park, Mumbai. Attacks on north Indian taxi drivers and others followed.
Why were railway exam candidates attacked in October 2008?
The MNS said Maharashtrian youth were not told about railway recruitment and that outsiders were being hired. Candidates from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were attacked at stations and exam centres around 19 October.
How many times was Raj Thackeray arrested in 2008?
Reports describe arrests on 13 February, on the night of 20-21 October, and on 15 November 2008. He was granted bail each time.
Who was Rahul Raj?
A 23-year-old from Patna shot dead by Mumbai police on a BEST bus on 27 October 2008. Police said he fired at them; his family and the Bihar government disputed the need to kill him and sought a CBI probe.
Was Raj Thackeray convicted?
No. On 21 May 2026 a Thane court acquitted him in the 2008 Kalyan railway exam assault case, finding the prosecution had not proved his presence or incitement.
What did the NHRC say?
In 2010 it said the Maharashtra government failed to protect migrants and recommended Rs 5 lakh each for two families who lost members on 13 February 2008.
Sources
- Tribune: FIR against Raj Thackeray, 5 Feb 2008
- UNI via OneIndia: FIR registered against Raj Thackeray, 4 Feb 2008
- ANI via OneIndia: Shivraj Patil to make statement on violence in Maharashtra, 4 Mar 2008
- UNI via OneIndia: Sporadic incidents in Maharashtra, police visit Raj's house, 13 Feb 2008
- Tribune: Future tense as north Indian migrants face MNS ire, 13 Feb 2008
- Tribune: End of Raj days; held, bailed out, 14 Feb 2008
- ANI via OneIndia: Raj Thackeray granted bail, 13 Feb 2008
- Al Jazeera: Arrests in India migrant row, Feb 2008
- Arab News: Raj challenges government to arrest him, 11 Feb 2008
- Tribune: Bal Thackeray editorial; gag on Raj Thackeray, 6 Mar 2008
- Arab News: Migrants returning to Maharashtra, 11 Mar 2008
- Arab News: MNS attacks North Indians, 20 Oct 2008
- ANI via OneIndia: Nobody above law, says CM on Raj's arrest, 21 Oct 2008
- Christian Science Monitor: Mumbai tense following arrest of right-wing leader, 21 Oct 2008
- OneIndia: Raj Thackeray given interim bail, 22 Oct 2008
- The National: Life grinds to a halt in Mumbai after riots, 22 Oct 2008
- Tribune: Uproar in RS over MNS attacks; students disrupt rail traffic in Bihar, 22 Oct 2008
- Tribune: Murder case against Raj; Nitish urges PM, 25 Oct 2008
- Tribune: Shot dead in Mumbai bus; Dad refuses to buy pistol story, 28 Oct 2008
- UNI via OneIndia: Relatives take possession of Raj's body, 28 Oct 2008
- UNI via OneIndia: Joseph appeals for evidence in BEST shoot-out case, 28 Oct 2008
- NHRC: Notice to Maharashtra government on killing of Rahul Raj, Oct 2008
- IANS via Gulf News: Young man lynched in Mumbai, 29 Oct 2008
- Tribune: PM under pressure from allies to act; Raj cremated on Diwali, 30 Oct 2008
- UNI via OneIndia: Lalu announces compensation to UP rail victim's wife, 30 Oct 2008
- Tribune: JD(U) threatens to quit Lok Sabha, 31 Oct 2008
- OneIndia: Rahul Raj autopsy report, 6 Nov 2008
- UNI via OneIndia: JD(U), BJP divided over MNS row in Bihar, 10 Nov 2008
- OneIndia: Raj Thackeray held, released on bail, 15 Nov 2008
- PTI via Deccan Herald: 2008 riot case: Raj Thackeray gets bail, 29 June 2009
- NHRC: NHRC indicts Maharashtra government over failure to protect people from MNS violence, 18 Mar 2010
- PTI via India TV: Fresh non-bailable warrants against Raj Thackeray, 28 Sept 2012
- Scroll: Chhath politics in Mumbai has changed, 17 Nov 2018
- ETV Bharat: Raj Thackeray refuses to admit to guilt in 2008 riot case, 11 Dec 2025
- Deccan Herald: Raj Thackeray acquitted in 2008 railway exam assault case, 21 May 2026
- The Pioneer: Raj Thackeray's role in instigating attack not proved, says court, 25 May 2026