Assault on ex-Navy officer: BJP, daughter protest against bail of accused

After the six suspected Shiv Sena workers were granted bail in a case of assaulting a retired Navy officer, Leader of opposition in the state Legislative council Pravin Darekar, local BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar and the victim's daughter staged an agitation outside the ACP's office in Kandivali, demanding that the accused be booked under non-bailable offences.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): BJP leaders, and the daughter of Madan Sharma, the retired Navy officer who was allegedly beaten up by Shiv Sena workers in Mumbai, staged a protest outside the office of Additional Commissioner of Police on Saturday and demanded that the accused be booked under non-bailable offences.

They demanded that the accused be booked under sections 326 (causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons and means), and 452 and 450 (house-trespassing) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which are non-bailable.

"Two unit heads and other workers of Shiv Sena beat up a retired Navy officer in my constituency and we had filed complaint against them. The Police last night arrested six people in connection with the case but they all were given bail before 9 am today. We are protesting here to meet Additional Commissioner of Police to ask him to charge them under non-bailable sections. Section 326 and trespassing should be charged against them," BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said.

Meanwhile Additional Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangare Patil said that section 326 cannot be imposed as there should be an attack with sharp weapon to charge a person under this section.

Read:Mumbai: 6 arrested in ex-Navy officer assault case get bail by police

"We have arrested six people in connection with the case and applied serious charges but those sections are bailable and due to COVID-19 situation, it is mandatory to give bail. We are verifying for the section 452 for trespassing. If it applies, we will charge them under section 452. Section 326 cannot be applied as there should be an assault with the sharp weapon for it," Patil told reporters.

'This is state sponsored terror'

Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also reacted sharply to the release of the accused, and called the beating up of the former Naval officer "state-sponsored terror".

"What happened is very wrong, this is a kind of state-sponsored terror. As I did through my tweet yesterday, I call upon the Chief Minister to stop this gunda raj. Six people were arrested yesterday after pressure from the media but were released within 10 minutes. I do not think Maharashtra has ever seen such a situation before," Fadnavis said while speaking to the media in Bihar.

Shiv Sena leader Kamlesh Kadam and five others were arrested by the Mumbai police overnight after an FIR was registered in connection with alleged assault of retired Navy officer in Mumbai.

(With inputs from agencies)