Mumbai: Mumbai Police on Monday arrested four Shiv Sena party members including former city Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, for allegedly vandalizing Maharashtra BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's car over the weekend, the police informed. Those arrested have been identified as former Shiv Sena corporator Haji Haleem Khan and party activists Dinesh Kunal and Shekhar Wangankar, who were reportedly charged with rioting as they hurled stones at Somaiya's car, the police official said.
The BJP leader's car was allegedly attacked in front of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence in Mumbai on Saturday amid the Hanuman Chalisa row that flared up after the Amravati based MLA Ravi Rana and wife MP Navneet Rana gave a call to recite it there. "We four, including former corporator Haleem and Kunal, were arrested but we do not know under which IPC sections and whether they are bailable or non-bailable. We are in the (Khar) police station," the former Mayor said after an FIR was registered at the Bandra police station against the four in the matter.
The case was transferred to the Khar police station on Sunday morning as the incident occurred under their jurisdiction. Somaiya's car was also handed over to the Khar police for further probe, the officials informed. The BJP has alleged that 70-80 Shiv Sena activists in suburban Khar assaulted the former Lok Sabha MP. A BJP delegation from Maharashtra comprising MLA Mihir Kotecha, MLA Amit Satam, MLA Parag Shah, MLA Rahul Narvekar, Vinod Mishra and Kirit Somaiya himself headed to Delhi to meet Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Monday. The delegation appealed to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the assault on Somaiya and review his security arrangements.
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