Sena MLA and two women held for attack on Bhujbal

Desai surrendered before the police at 7.30 am, following which, senior inspector Prabhakar Babar, inspector Ravindranath Angre and sub-inspector Alhad Gaikwad, attached to the Unit I of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai police, arrested Killedar and Kambli from their respective residences. While Killedar heads the Sion-Dharavi unit of the women’s front of the Sena, Kambli is in charge of Umarkhadi area.

Following the suspension of three senior police officers from the Cuffe Parade police station, the new team of the Crime Branch have been handed over the case of the investigations.

Bhujbal’s official residence A-10 was attacked and ransacked by a group of senior Sena leaders and Sainiks on July 13, 1997. So far, 38 people have been arrested in the case. With the arrests today, the number has gone up to 41. Sena MP, Mohan Rawle, the prime accused in the case, is still at large and attending the Parliament session in New Delhi.

Desai, Killedar and Kambli have been charged under sections 141, 143, 146, 147, 425, 427, 380 and 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code and 37 of the Bombay Police Act. The police, however, have not applied the section 307 (attempted murder) of the IPC, though Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had directed the sainiks to court arrest under the same section. Explaining this, the police said that the particular section was not applicable in the case.

Omission of this section, however, is done only to help the accused in acquiring bail as all other sections mentioned above are bailable offences, while section 307 is a non-bailable offence.