The Shivaji Park Police Friday arrested Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande's driver Rahul Vaishya for attempted culpable homicide. Vaishya was produced before a magistrate court Friday and remanded to police custody. Deshpande and Vaishya along with other MNS leaders were also booked for obstructing public servant from discharging duty and causing hurt after they drove away in their car from outside MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s residence in Shivaji Park even as police were trying to detain them as a preventive measure. A woman constable, who was a part of the police team, fell on the ground and suffered an injury. The incident took place around 11.20 am when two MNS leaders, Deshpande and Santosh Dhuri, were speaking to mediapersons on the loudspeaker row outside the residence of Thackeray. The Shivaji Park Police officials, who were given instructions to make preventive detention and arrest MNS workers, tried to detain Deshpande and Dhuri. But both the leaders, who were surrounded by mediapersons, got inside their car and Vaishya rashly drove away from the spot. An FIR was registered against the trio under Sections 308, 353, 336, 279 and 34 of the IPC. Senior inspector Satish Kasbe of Shivaji Park police station confirmed the development. While the police are trying to find Deshpande, he spoke to a news channel and said a false case has been registered by the police. Deshpande said the woman constable did not fall on the ground because of their car. He said he is not at home and is taking legal advice. “We were speaking to mediapersons when inspector Kasar came there and started pulling me. I asked him if he was detaining me but he denied. Kasar sir pulled me and our driver drove away. Afterwards, I saw the footage of the incident in the news channel and the woman constable fell over 14 feet away from the car. We were not protesting but still the police were trying to catch me. So, is it wrong if we ask them why we are being arrested? The incident will be clear from the CCTV footage of the spot. We are not afraid of the police but they are filing false cases and we will not tolerate it.”
