Mumbai ex-mayor and Sena UBT leader Datta Dalvi arrested for ‘abusing’ Shinde

As per the complaint, Dalvi said that Shinde has now gone with the BJP and had the late Anand Dighe – a Shiv Sena leader from Thane known to be Shinde’s mentor – been alive, he would have “smashed Shinde and thrown him out”. “We have all seen what he has done in the past. *****, do you even know the meaning of Hindu Hridaysamrat,” the complainant quoted Dalvi as having said.

Several Shiv Sena (UBT) faction members were present at the event.

A case was registered against Dalvi at Bhandup police station under sections 153A(1)(a), 153B(1)(b), 153A(1)(C) (causing rift between communities), 294 (use of obscene words), 504 (intentional insult), and 505 of the Indian Penal Code, a police officer said.

Soon after Dalvi’s arrest, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut reached Bhandup police station along with his supporters. Later, addressing the media outside the police station, Raut said, “Cabinet minister Abdul Sattar used derogatory language against NCP leader Supriya Sule. (Narayan) Ranes use derogatory and abusive language all the time but no action is taken against them. I want to tell this government that in 2024, you will all go behind the bars.”

An officer said that Dalvi was produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. Dalvi, through his lawyer, immediately applied for bail, which has been kept for hearing on Thursday. In his bail plea, the accused said that he has been falsely implicated in the case and there are no grounds for him to be kept in custody.

Reacting to the incident, Dalvi said he is a staunch Shiv Sainik of Balasaheb Thackeray and was not apologetic about the remarks he made. “I do not feel sorry for my statement. I have worked with Anand Dighe who has spoken the same words in his movie Dharmveer. I have only used those same words,” Dalvi said.

Referring to the movie, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that if those words are unparliamentary and attracts criminal action, then the film’s producer, directors and others should also be booked. Sanjay and his brother MLA Sunil Raut also reached Bhandup police station and extended support to Dalvi.

“Police stormed into his home and arrested him… If those words were objectionable Why didn’t the government arrest the director and producer of the film? Dalvi only expressed public sentiment. All this has been done to divert attention from the issue of farmers affected by unseasonal rainfall, as the CM and his deputies are busy campaigning in other states. We support the statement made by Datta Dalvi,” Raut said.

Dalvi was Mayor of Mumbai from 2005 to 2007 and was corporator of the Brihanmumbai Municipal for three successive terms.

MLA Sunil Raut also threated to block the LBS road if judicial custody of Dalvi was not stayed.