New Delhi: The Mumbai police on Monday arrested four Shiv Sena members. Including former city mayor Vishwanath Maheshwar, for allegedly vandalising Maharashtra BJP leader Kirti Somaiya’s car over the weekend, the news agency PTI reported. According to a Khar police station official, Shiv Sena corporator Haji Haji Haleem Khan and party activist Dinesh Kunal were also among those who were arrested on Monday afternoon.
Of the four arrested former city mayor, Vishwanath Maheshwar was granted bail on medical grounds, Mumbai police told news agency ANI.
An official told PTI that those arrested have been charged with rioting as they allegedly hurled stones at Somaiya’s car.
The official also said that the BJP leader’s car was attacked on Saturday amid the high tension drama caused by independent Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana’s call of reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence Matoshree.
However, the recitation was cancelled by the politician couple later and then they were arrested by the Mumbai police the same day.
Meanwhile, the arrested Shiv Sena workers have claimed that they do not know under which charges they have been arrested.
Mahadeshwar told PTI, "We four, including former corporator Haleem and Kunal, were arrested but we do not know under which IPC sections and whether they are bailable or non-bailable. We are in the (Khar) police station. An FIR was registered at the Bandra police station in connection with the incident. On Sunday morning, the case was transferred to the Khar police station as the incident took place under their jurisdiction.”
An official told PTI that Somaiya’s car was also handed over to the Khar police for further probe.
The BJP has alleged Somaiya, a former Lok Sabha MP, was assaulted by 70-80 Shiv Sena activists in suburban Khar on Saturday.
A BJP delegation from Maharashtra met Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in New Delhi on Monday and urged him to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged assault on Somaiya and review his security arrangements.
On Sunday, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Wasle-Patil had confirmed that stones were pelted at Somaiya’s car and a case had been registered in the matter.