By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Dec 12:
Three activists were arrested and 10 police personnel were suspended on Sunday by the Pimpri Chinchwad Police in connection with the incident in which ink was thrown at Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil on Saturday.
Ink was thrown at BJP leader and Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil on Saturday in Pimpri Chinchwad city of Pune district over his alleged remark on Dr BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.
On Sunday the police arrested-Manoj Bhaskar Gharbade and Dhananjy Bhausaheb Ichgaj both belonging to “Samta Sainik Dal” and Vijay Dharma Ovhal of Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi. They were charged under sections 307 (Attempt to murder) and 353 (assault on a public servant in the execution of his/her duty) of the Indian Penal Code and were remanded to three days police.
Similarly the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Ankush Shinde suspended 10 policemen who were deployed for the security of Patil. “We have suspended seven police personnel and three officers in connection with the incident. All of them were part of the minister’s security cover during his visit,” Shinde said.
Local journalist Govind Vakde was also detained for interrogation on charges that the ink attack on Patil was pre-planned and as per his whatsapp chat he was aware of the impending attack. However Vakde was released following protests by different journalists’ bodies.
NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad said that to book journalist in such incident is improper. Raju Shetty, a farmers’ leader and former MP Raju Shetty criticized the government for slapping sections 307 and 353 on arrested activists, saying that they had neither attacked Patil with weapons nor interrupted any Government servant while performing the duty. In a year long protest against three controversial farm bills in Delhi, which began on November 25,2020, over 700 farmers died/ In that case why no minister was booked under section 302 (murder) of IPC, Shetty asked.
Background
On Friday in a function in Aurangabad, Patil reportedly said that social reformists like Dr B R Ambedkar, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Karmveer Bhaurao Patil, virtually begged and collected alms to run the schools set up by them. They did not wait for Government grants.
However these remarks enraged leaders of different parties who demanded an apology from Patil saying that he insulted the great reformists who rendered done yeoman’s service for the uplift of downtrodden people.
In the meanwhile speaking to media on Sunday, Patil said that he would urge Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, to revoke the suspension of the police personnel and at the most transfer them out.
