13 October,2026 11:27 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uddhav Thackeray. File Pic
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Tuesday accused the Centre and state authorities of using authoritarian tactics against protesters, alleging that police action against students, women and journalists in Delhi and Mumbai had created an atmosphere of unrest across the country.
In an editorial published in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over what it described as their silence on the alleged police excesses. The editorial claimed that the handling of protests had created a situation resembling civil war, while accusing the authorities of using excessive force against demonstrators.
The editorial alleged that police personnel in Delhi and Mumbai had used force against peaceful demonstrators, including students, women and journalists. It also referred to Supreme Court directions concerning the use of batons against protesters when there is no rioting.
According to the editorial, women protesters and journalists in Delhi faced high-handed treatment, while several political figures, including MP John Brittas, CPI general secretary M.A. Baby and Kerala Opposition leader P. Vijayan, were allegedly dragged, beaten and taken away in police vans during a satyagraha.
The publication claimed that similar scenes unfolded in Mumbai, where students and female college students staging a protest near Shivaji Park were allegedly dragged into police vehicles.
These allegations were presented by the party in its editorial criticising the handling of the demonstrations.
The editorial accused Shah of disregarding court directions and using force against peaceful protesters, alleging that the response was increasing public anger towards the Prime Minister.
It also criticised Modi for visiting Chennai to review metro-related presentations and speak about development while, according to the editorial, remaining silent on the reported unrest.
The publication further accused Shah of remaining behind armed security personnel and focusing on the BJP's by-election victories in states such as West Bengal and Puducherry rather than addressing the protests.
The Saamana editorial also criticised prominent award-winning personalities, including recipients of the Bharat Ratna, Padma awards, Jnanpith Award and Sahitya Akademi Award, along with film and theatre figures, for what it described as their silence on the alleged police action.
Drawing comparisons with the conduct of intellectuals and artists during the regimes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, the editorial cited writer Harishankar Parsai, saying the country's intellectuals are "nominal tigers who merely play band in a jackal's wedding".
It alleged that some actors and public figures who deliver strong messages on screen remain silent when confronted with political and social crises.
In contrast, the editorial praised actor Prakash Raj, actor Naseeruddin Shah, MP Jaya Bachchan and former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar for voicing opposition to what it described as police high-handedness.
The Thackeray camp argued that public figures should speak out against alleged abuses of power and warned against treating celebrities who remain silent as politically neutral.
The editorial concluded by condemning intellectuals who, it alleged, remained silent in the face of atrocities, describing them as "enemies of society and of no use to the nation".
