The Kalyan police on Wednesday arrested five persons, including two Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders, for allegedly vandalising a private school. Fifteen others were booked for trespassing and assault.
According to the police, a mob of around 20 people barged into the school premises of Birla School in Kalyan on the outskirts of Mumbai on Wednesday morning and broke windowpanes and assaulted the staff. Their demand was to see the school register in order to see the addresses of the students admitted in the school.
"We have arrested two MNS leaders and three others for damaging property of a private school. The mob claims that the school was admitting 'non-locals'," senior police inspector Dinesh Katke of Mahatma Phule police station told The Hindu .
"An administrator has been injured in the incident and two complaints, one of assault and other for trespassing has been filed by the school. More arrests are likely to take place," added Mr. Katke.
The two leaders arrested have been identified as local MLA Prakash Bhoir and corporator Ulhas Bhoir. Before the arrests, they told the press that parents had approached them complaining against the school for refusing admission to local aspirants.
"We wrote to the school after we received numerous complaints from the parents but they never reverted. All we want that the school should adopt a fair scheme of admission," Prakash told reporters.