A molestation case has been registered against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA and former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad on Monday at Mumbra police station, prompting him to announce he would resign as MLA in view of “fake” cases. He denied the charge, as reported by the news agency PTI.
Senior Nationalist, Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Monday stated Chief Minister Eknath Shinde must come ahead and provide an explanation that nothing of this type had happened as he was present when the crowd was being dispersed after an event held in Mumbra in Thane district on Sunday evening.
On Monday midnight Mumbra police registered a case against Awhad under Indian Penal Code section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) according to the news agency PTI.
The complainant against him alleged that he pushed that female while making way for himself during the dispersal of the crowd after an event of the chief minister in Mumbra, as per the First Information Report (FIR).
“Police lodged two fake complaints against me including on charges under IPC 354. I am deciding to resign as MLA. I will fight against such police atrocity against me. I cannot see the murder of democracy with my eyes,” Awhad tweeted on Monday. Later he also said such kind of allegations can ruin someone’s life as well.
Notably, Awhad was arrested on Friday after he and his supporters stopped a show of the Marathi movie "Har Har Mahadev" at a multiplex in Thane city alleging "a distorted portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj". He is out on bail by a court from this Saturday.
Ajit Pawar asked for the case withdrown by saying, "I insist that the way this case (against Awhad) has been registered in the wrong manner, it should be withdrawn".
"Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was there at the program and Awhad was also present at the event. He is seen in the video asking people to move aside (to make way) and was also seen trying to make the woman step aside. Nothing else happened. Even though Shinde was just 10 meters away from the spot, this kind of offense was registered," Pawar told reporters in Pune.
The chief minister should come forward and explain the scene to make this clear that nothing of this sort had happened there. Irrespective of how he became the chief minister, Shinde represents 13 crore people of the state, he said, and added the attempt to put a people's representative in trouble is an "act of cowardice".
Awhad's wife Ruta Awhad said, "the complainant woman is out on bail. And how come she realized after four hours that her modesty was outraged?" Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil alleged Awhad has been targeted deliberately by the state government.
"The complainant woman had met CM Shinde before the case was filed against Awhad," claimed Patil who addressed a press conference with Awhad.
"He has tendered his resignation. We will discuss the issue with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and take a decision. Awhad is disturbed. He could fight any other allegations but certainly not the one invoked against him," Patil said.
As per the PTI inputs, he also asked people to think about what kind of government is ruling in the state.
Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and RTI activist Anjali Damania also tweeted, "I had fought against Awhad frequently in the past. However, the charges invoked against him are wrong."
(With PTI Inputs)