MNS chief Raj Thackeray, summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, on Thursday reached the agency's office in south Mumbai with his family members in tow.
The MNS leader reached the ED office around 11.30 am, accompanied by wife Sharmila, son Amit and daughter in law Mitali. After Raj entered the office alone, his family members
camped at a nearby hotel.
Mumbai police had imposed section 144 of CrPC (banning unlawful assembly) outside the ED office in south Mumbai apprehending a law and order problem.
"Raj has appealed his party workers not to throng outside the ED office but we don't want to take any chances," the police official said.
MNS workers Santosh Dhuri and Rajan More were detained from Mumbai and Thane respectively.
Earlier, the police had served notices under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to MNS activists and functionaries in Mumbai, Thane and other cities of Maharashtra where the party has influence.
"As there is a possibility of law and order issue in the view of Raj Thackeray's inquiry by the ED, we have given notices to MNS leaders and members," he said.
Section 149 empowers police to prevent cognisable offences (the offences where police can arrest without warrant).
ED is investigating him in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities relating to loans and equity investment worth over Rs 450 crore by IL&FS in Kohinoor CTNL Infrastructure Company.
The firm was founded by former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi's son Unmesh, Raj Thackeray and Raj's close aide and builder Rajan Shirodkar to purchase and develop the land of the defunct Kohinoor Mill.
Thackeray reportedly sold off his stake in 2008.
Unmesh has been questioned by the ED for three days since August 19.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the NCP, have rallied behind Raj, terming the ED notice a vendetta politics by the ruling BJP.
Thackeray had held several rallies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
He, however, had spared Sena from any direct criticism.
He recently also met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to muster support for his demand that Electronic Voting Machines should not be used for polling.
Meanwhile, reacting to the ED's summons to Thackeray, his estranged cousin and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, in an intriguing comment, said he did not expect any "solid outcome". The Sena is a partner of the ruling BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
"I do not expect any solid outcome from the inquiry," Uddhav told reporters in a terse reply.
Earlier, Thackeray had said he had faced such notices from government agencies and courts in the past and honoured them and he was going to honour the ED notice too.
"I have been through such cases earlier as well and I will come out of it," he said on Wednesday.
