Maharashtra: Uddhav’s supporters ‘clash’ with CM Shinde’s followers, booked for rioting and dacoity
A fight broke out among Shiv Sena workers in the party’s bastion in Mumbai’s Dadar (west) Sunday. A source said that a group supporting Uddhav Thackeray allegedly beat up supporters of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the wee hours of Sunday. The police said a leader of the Uddhav faction, Mahesh Sawant, from Mahim and his supporters have been booked for unlawful assembly, rioting, assault and dacoity. The fight was an outcome of a fracas that took place over serving water during a Ganpati visarjan procession Saturday.
No arrest has been made so far. On the other hand, no action has been initiated by the police on a cross complaint filed by Mahesh Sawant, his lawyer alleged.
The complainant, Santosh Telvane, 49, told the police the incident took place when a mob led by Mahesh Sawant attacked him and his supporters.
Mahesh Sawant and his men threw stones and attacked them with bamboo sticks, the complainant said. Telvane also alleged that the mob robbed his gold chain worth Rs 2.60 lakh. Based on his complaint, an FIR has been registered against Mahesh Sawant and over 30 people under Indian Penal Code Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly prosecuting common object), 395 (dacoity), 324 (hurt by dangerous weapon), 323 (hurt), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
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Mahesh Sawant’s lawyer Girish Sawant said: “Mahesh Sawant is being falsely implicated. He has also filed a complaint against them but the police have not taken any action yet.” Mahesh Sawant has alleged that one person from the Shinde camp fired from his gun.
The complainant, Telvane, sells vegetables near the office of Saamna newspaper, the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena party, near Prabhadevi. Telvane is shakha pramukh (local branch leader) of Shiv Sena from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp.
He told the police, “Mahesh Sawant lives in my neighbourhood. For the last three months due to the political situation, I joined MLA Sada Sarvankar from Eknath Shinde camp and hence Mahesh Sawant has a grudge against me. On September 9 during the Visarjan procession, we had kept a stall near Prabhadevi junction to serve water and Mahesh Sawant’s party workers, too, were serving water next to us.
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“Around 12 am (Saturday) there was a minor argument over our groups chanting slogans and we amicably solved the issue but Mahesh Sawant held a grudge against me over it. On 11 September around 12.30 am, my nephew Vikas Telvane, friend Vivek Patil and Ganesh Patil were chatting near Hanuman temple. At this time, Mahesh Sawant accompanied by Shailesh Mali, Sanjay Bhagat, Vinayak Devrukhkar, Prathamesh Bidu, Vipul Tatkar, Yashwant Vichle, Vijay Pandey, Chandan Salunkhe, Sanjay Sawant, Dutesh Rahate, Ravi Padyachil and 20 to 25 unknown people came with swords, chopper, bamboo and sticks.”
A police official from Dadar police station confirmed that no one has been arrested and no cross FIR has been registered in the case so far.
