MUMBAI: MNS chief Raj Thackeray has gathered along with thousands of supporters at Girgaum Chowpatty in south Mumbai to march to Azad Maidan despite a police order that denied permission to do so.

The MNS chief is demanding the resignation of Maharashtra home minister R R Patil over the violence on August 11 by Muslims in Mumbai that left two dead.

A long convoy of buses, two-wheelers and cars, ferrying hundreds of supporters and party activist from the Thane unit of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), drove towards the Girgaum chowpatty on Tuesday to attend the rally called by their leader.

All vehicles driving into Mumbai with MNS activists from Thane and beyond, were subjected to physical inspection by the Mumbai police corps deployed at the toll booth at the Eastern Express Highway on Tuesday. None of the vehicles bearing the MNS flag and carrying party supporters from Thane were stopped at the toll booth at the Eastern Express highway. The MNS activists were given a free passage into Mumbai.

Traffic congestion in south Mumbai has already begun as more than 50,000 people are expected at the MNS rally at Azad Maidan.

While permission for the rally came late in the evening on Monday, it seemed party chief Raj Thackeray had little use of it anyway. “Permission or no permission, we will go ahead with our protest march,” Raj said earlier.

A source earlier said the procession would start from Girgaon Chowpatty, but the police said they had not granted permission for a gathering there. “We will decide how to handle the matter in case Raj starts the rally at Chowpatty,” said a senior police officer.

Two people were killed and over 40 injured on August 11 after a protest by several Muslim organisations to condemn the alleged attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and the Assam riots turned violent.

Road blocks at strategic locations, random checks of vehicles and traffic diversions are already in force in most parts of the city in an attempt to prevent any untoward incident.

Earlier on Monday, while speculation was rife that the MNS morcha could be a still-born baby, Raj addressed a press conference at his Shivaji Park residence, slamming the police for creating bureaucratic tangles while dealing with his party’s letter seeking permission for the Tuesday road-show.

“The police and the home department should have displayed similar urge to adhere to rules and laws while granting permission to the August 11 protest march organized by the Raza Academy and the nine other bodies,” he said.

Accusing the police of stopping vehicles with MNS activists from entering Mumbai, Raj said, “Every MNS worker from across Maharashtra is eager to participate in the morcha. We have invited relatives of Mumbai’s policemen as well.”

He said he spoke to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday evening on the matter. “The CM said categorically that in a democratic setup, a political party’s right to protest can in no way be impinged,” Raj said at the press conference.

“It will be a peaceful protest. But if the police try to disrupt it, the state government will be responsible for the consequences thereafter,” he warned.

Meanwhile, joint commissioner of police (traffic) Vivek Phansalkar said the traffic police will keep people updated about the road situation through SMSs and radio channels.