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

According to reports, six goons were arrested by Mumbai police for assaulting an ex-Navy officer on Saturday morning, but later let off by the police.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Kamlesh Kadam and five others, who were arrested for allegedly assaulting a retired Navy officer in Mumbai, have been granted bail from the Samta Nagar police station, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the Supreme Court order empowering the police station to release an accused on bail from police station itself in matters where maximum punishment is seven years or less was exercised in granting bail to the six accused persons.

The retired Navy officer was beaten up by alleged Shiv Sena workers in Mumbai after he forwarded a cartoon on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on WhatsApp on Friday.

A case under IPC section 325 (causing grievous hurt) and provisions related to rioting were registered against six persons. However, all six accused were later released on bail.

"The incident took place around 11.30 am in Lokhandwala Complex area in suburban Kandivali," an official said.

"Retired Navy officer Madan Sharma had forwarded a cartoon on Thackeray on a WhatsApp group. Some Sena workers went to his house and beat him up. Sharma sustained an eye injury and is being treated at hospital," he said.

All the six accused were arrested by the Mumbai police overnight after an FIR was registered in connection with the incident, Mumbai Police said on Saturday.

Elaborating on the incident, Madan Sharma said that he was attacked after he forwarded a message on WhatsApp.

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"Eight to ten persons attacked and beat me up today after I received threatening calls for a message that I had forwarded. I have worked for the nation my entire life. A government like this should not exist," Sharma said.

Dr Sheela Sharma, daughter of the former officer said that he was attacked by people from the Shiv Sena after the received threats for forwarding a message on Whatsapp.

"My father received threats for forwarding a message. A number of people from the Shiv Sena attacked him. Later, the police came to our residence and insisted on taking my father with them. We've registered an FIR," she said.

Reacting to the incident, BJP and opposition leader in Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis had expressed shock and appealed to the state's Chief Minister to take action against the accused.

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