Party worker ‘assaulted’, Uddhav Thackeray calls Devendra Fadnavis ‘useless home minister’

Thackeray’s tirade against Fadnavis was sparked after an alleged assault on Shiv Sena (UBT) worker Roshni Shinde in Thane on Monday after she allegedly made an objectionable remark on social media against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. While Roshni alleged that she was beaten up by a group of women workers of Shiv Sena, despite being pregnant, the Sena’s women wing claimed that she was not assaulted.

Doctor Umesh Alegaokar from Sampada hospital in Thane, where Roshni has been admitted, claimed that Roshni was not pregnant. “The victim’s pregnancy test has turned out to be negative but there are injury marks on her body,” he added.

The Thane Police, meanwhile, booked Roshni in two cases on Tuesday. One of the FIRs was lodged on charges of promoting disharmony between groups and defamation through her social media post. “The FIR was filed based on a complaint by BJP worker Sanjay Waghule, who reported a Facebook post that Shinde had uploaded on March 25, in which she allegedly made some derogatory comments about BJP. The complaint said that the post hurt the sentiments the local BJP workers,” an officer said.

The second FIR, also lodged on same charges, pertained to a comment Roshni had allegedly made against CM Eknath Shinde’s wife. The FIR was registered at Kasarwadavli police station.

Learning of the assault, Thackeray, along with his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya, reached the hospital on Tuesday morning to meet Roshni. Thackeray also went to meet Thane Police Commissioner Jai Jeet Singh but the commissioner was not available. Speaking to the media, Thackeray demanded Fadnavis’ resignation and Singh’s suspension for not lodging an the FIR into the matter. “The home minister (Fadnavis) should resign immediately and the police commissioner should either be transferred or suspended immediately.”

Later in the day, Shiv Sena women workers, led by former Thane mayor Naresh

Mhaske, took out a march to the Thane Police Commissionerate, demanding action against Roshni Shinde.

“There has been no assault on the woman, as she is claiming… false allegations are being made to defame us. The conspiracy was hatched by MP Rajan Vichare to please Uddhav Thackeray. The civic hospital has given a report stating that there are no external injuries on her body. Still she was admitted in a private hospital. But the doctor of that hospital has also clarified that there are no injuries,” Mhaske said.

An officer from the Thane Police said they have filed a non-cognisable complaint under Indian Penal Code sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), among others. “As of now, the complaint is against unidentified persons. Based on CCTV camera footage, we will be identifying the women involved in the incident, following which, they will be named in the complaint as accused,” the officer added.

Asked why an FIR was not registered in the matter, the officer said that the offence was registered on the basis of the medical report from the Sampada hospital where Shinde was admitted.

“In the report provided to the police, the hospital mentioned that Roshni Shinde suffered multiple minor bruises on the back, minor abrasion in the intercostal region and one bruise…the report mentions there is no evidence of head injury, bone fracture or active bleeding and the nature of the injury was stated to be simple,” the officer added.

“Since there were no serious injuries, we have lodged a non coginsable complaint as per procedure.”

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) will hold a morcha from Shivaji Chowk of Thane to the Thane Police Commissionerate on Wednesday. The morcha would be led by MLA Aaditya Thackeray.