Pune cops book Youth Congress workers who protested as Amit Shah’s convoy passed

According to the FIR registered at the Chatushrungi police station, a group of people chanted slogans and displayed placards as part of a protest when Shah’s convoy was passing from the Senapati Bapat Road around 10.45 am. “When the said group of people was asked to leave from the spot, they did not leave,” read the FIR lodged by Assistant Inspector Ratnadeep Gaikwad on Sunday evening.

The police have booked 10 people, seven of whom have been identified as Rahul Shirsath, Raju Thombre, Swapnil Naik, Ashutosh Jadhavrao, Akshay Jain, Akshay Mane and Yogesh Yadav—all office-bearers the Congress youth wing’s Pune unit. The rest of the accused are yet to be identified.

When contacted, Akshay Jain, said, “We got to know of the case registered against us only through the media. The charges levelled against us are false.”

The police have invoked Indian Penal Code sections 143 and 149, which pertain to unlawful assembly, and 151, which pertains to continuing the assembly after being commanded to disperse. They have also invoked the Bombay Police Act provision pertaining to disobeying a lawful order. No arrests have been made in the case.