Tumult in BMC over poll code

Senior Congress corporator Annie Shekhar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Zone-II Amar Nath Dube and Ward Officer W-west Chhotelal Dube were arrested on Saturday and released after signing personal bonds. Warrants were also served on former MP Murli Deora, Congress civic leader KisanJadhav and Bharatiya Janata Party corporator Dr Jivraj Shah, who were among the dignitaries present at the function.

They pointed out that the ceremony had been held at 11 am while the code of conduct took effect only at 3 pm. Apart from registering cases against the dignataries, the collector8217;s office also removed the plaque on July 17. Mayor Hareshwar Patil said today that a counter-complaint would be filed asking that the same laws be applied to the collector8217;s staff as would for a common man destroying public property. 8220;They did not inform or tell us why they were demolishing it. We would have done it ourselves if we were convinced of our fault. This is highly humiliating and the collector8217;s action will rebound on it,8221; Patil said, adding that till the circular of guidelines are issued to House it would not be considered enforced. He received tumultous applause on this point.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Ajit Kumar Jain told the House that the administration had taken serious note of theincident. 8220;We have in the last meeting clarified that routine works will not be affected by the code of conduct and are issuing a circular this evening which will clear all the confusion,8221; he added. Jain later told reporters that facts will be collected and legal opinion sought. Declining comment on the 8220;sensitive issue8221;, he however replied to a question on whether BMC permission was necesssary before the demolition: 8220;We feel the BMC should have been informed.8221;

During the debate in the House, Leader of the House Digambar Kandarkar said the collector8217;s action of removing the plaque for a person of Nirjhar8217;s status was highly condemnable. He said the plaque should be replaced with due honour.

Congress corporator Ravindra Pawar said the police8217;s behaviour of arresting corporator Annie Shekhar and later dismissing it as an issue over not taking permission for loudspeakers, was appalling. The function was private and Shekhar was only among the invitees, he added.

An emotionally charged Shekhar,recounting her experience, said she was detained at the police station and treated in a humiliating manner.

Nationalist Congress Party8217;s Subhash Mayekar suggested that the mayor meet the state chief secretary along with party leaders and register his protest. Bharatiya Janata Party8217;s Sardar Tara Singh said that if stern action was not taken today itself, it would give the collector the upperhand in future.

Collector City Debashish Chakravarty told Express Newsline that the election code took effect on June 11 and that the inauguration of the chowk took place on the same day. This, he confirmed, was a violation of the code of conduct. 8220;Appropriate action is being initiated under the provisions laid down by the Election Commission,8221; he remarked.

Azad Maidan police say the loudspeaker was being played on the pavement and part of the adjoining building during the renaming of the chowk on July 11. No permission was obtained and hence a First Information Report has been filed under Section 37 ofthe Bombay Police Act.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee MRCC General Secretary Virendra Bakshi alledged that the fuss over lodging an FIR was orchestrated by the police at the behest of the Sena-BJP government. 8220;This has been done after all efforts to defeat MRCC President Murli Deora politically has failed,8221; Bakshi claimed. He added: 8220;If they claim that no police permission for the loudspeakers was sought, why was no action initiated at that point of time against the defaulters? There were several policemen present at the function,8221; charged Bakshi.