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Upset over the remarks by the founder-chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray, the Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA) on Sunday called upon the Centre to take appropriate legal action against him for threatening to shut down Hindi news channels in Maharashtra. Interacting with media here, N. K. Singh, Secretary General of Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA) said, “I fail to understand why the government does not act even after a person (Raj Thackeray) gives such outrageous comments. The government is armed with provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to tackle such threatening remarks. Through the Broadcast Editors' Association, I would like to convey that such remarks are not only a threat on the media but on roots of democracy. Hence the government should take concrete steps take actions under the provisions of IPC.” Further, launching salvo at Thackeray, Singh observed that the MNS chief has been found to be making inflammatory statements on several occasions in the past, and it is time penal action is initiated against him. “I fail to understand that some 'Raj Thackeray' thinks his image is superior than democracy and law and order. And this has not happened for the first time. This occurs about four to five times in a year. Hence this is our appeal- this is not an attack on media but the democracy,” Singh added. Earlier, Thackeray had criticised Bihar Chief Secretary Navin Kumar for writing to Mumbai Police Commissioner expressing displeasure over the arrest of the youth for vandalising the martyr's memorial during Azad Maidan protest on August 11. Thackeray said that he would brand all the people from Bihar living in Maharashtra as infiltrators and throw them out of the state, if Bihar government took legal action against Mumbai Police.

Action against Raj Thackeray for threatening to shut down Hindi news channels sought