LS Secretariat Asks Maharashtra Govt To Submit Report On Navneet Rana's Complaint In 24 Hours

She had sent the nine-point letter via e-mail to Speaker Om Birla on Sunday on which the speaker took cognizance on Monday and asked the state government to submit a report in 24 hours. 

MLA Ravi Rana and his wife, MP Navneet Rana were escorted out of their house by police, on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Secretariat has asked the Maharashtra government to submit a report on MP Navneet Rana’s complaint of mistreatment at the Khar police station in 24 hours. Independent MP Navneet Rana had written a letter to LS Speaker Om Birla complaining about the mistreatment she went through after being arrested for giving a call to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence.

She had sent the nine-point letter via e-mail to Speaker Om Birla on Sunday on which the speaker took cognizance on Monday and asked the state government to submit a report in 24 hours. 

Navneet Rana’s Complaint

In the e-mail, Rana wrote that the abandonment of Hindutva principals by Shiv Sena is clear with the fact that they refused the recital of Hanuman Chalisa on Hanuman Jayanti. “I made the announcement with the sincere hope of rekindling the flame of Hindutva in Shiv Sena and not to cause any communal disharmony,” she wrote. 

“Actually, I had asked CM Thackeray to participate in the Hanuman Chalisa recital. However, after realising that my actions might cause a law and order situation in Mumbai, I stepped back from the announcement publicly and decide to not go to CM’s residence. I was at home with my husband Ravi Rana,” she added.

She further stated, “On the orders of the CM, Mumbai police came to my place without any notice on April 23 at 4:30 pm and arrested me and my husband illegally. I told the police officials that I am an MP and my husband is an MLA and they cannot arrest us like that.”

“What is interesting here is that the FIR against me and my husband was filed at 5 pm on April 23 under IPC section 153A, Bombay Police Act Section 35, 37(1) and 135, and the most inappropriate one was the sedition charge under section 124A of IPC.  

Rana further described the scenario of her arrest in the letter along with the misbehaviour she had to go through in the police station. 

• I was arrested and kept in the police lock-up for the whole night in spite of my position as an MP. I was denied water despite asking multiple times for the whole night. 
• I was told that I belong to a scheduled caste and thence they cannot provide me water in the same glass. I repeat that a basic thing as the water was denied to me because of my caste. 
• When I asked to use the washroom, I was denied of that and I was hurled verbal abuses as they said that they could not let someone from the lower caste use their washroom. 
• I reiterate that the behaviour I was subjected to was worse than the animals. I was ripped of my dignity by being subjected to such behaviour on grounds of my being associated with a scheduled caste. I was denied the basic human behaviour which is the right of every citizen of this country. It raises a question for the Maharashtra government if an MP can be treated in such a way, how would they treat the common citizens. This is a clear message from the Thackeray government that any kind of disagreement with the government would lead to illegal arrest, jail time, and deprivation of basic rights. 
• I can assure you that the action against my husband has been taken on the orders of CM Uddhav Thackeray. I want to request the LS to look at this matter as the guardian of the members of the house. 

Rana also demanded strict action against the Commissioner, Mumbai Police, concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), concerned Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the police staff.