Unknown miscreants pelted stones, threw a cricket stump and a petrol bottle in the compound of MLA Bhaskar Jadhav’s bungalow in Chiplun in Ratnagiri district in the early hours of Wednesday. An official from Chiplun police station confirmed the incident, adding no one was hurt and the bungalow was not damaged in the incident. Police said they suspect the idea was to threaten the MLA, who was not at home when the incident took place. Jadhav's family, however, was at home and his son has given a complaint, based on which an FIR has been registered by the Chiplun police under IPC sections 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 447 (criminal trespass), 511 (attempting to commit offences) and 34 (common intention). Jadhav, who is part of the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, has been in the news for taking jibes at Union Minister Narayan Rane, who has a strong political hold in Konkan region. Rane, the Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and a BJP leader, was earlier with the Shiv Sena and served as the state chief minister when the Sena was in power. The attack on Jadhav’s bungalow comes in the backdrop of a war of words between Jadhav and Rane’s two sons. While addressing a crowd, Jadhav had mimicked Narayan Rane and taken jibes at him, as well as accused him of corruption. Both Rane’s sons, Nitesh and Nilesh, had responded strongly, with the latter publicly cautioning the Sena leader to mind his words and in response, Jadhav had made some remarks against Nilesh. In response to Jadhav’s comments, Tukaram Sail, a BJP leader from Kudal in Sindhudurg, filed a complaint with local Kudal police, following which an FIR was registered by the police on Tuesday night. Jadhav was booked under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot—if rioting be committed), 505 (1) (c) (public mischief with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community), 500 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult) of the Indian Penal Code.
