Notwithstanding its vehement denial that it had anything to do with the incident, the ruling Shiv Sena on Friday found itself on the defensive over the assault of a lady traffic police constable by one of its party functionaries at Thane, a satellite city of Mumbai.
After the video-footage of a Sena man Shashikant Ganpat Kalgude thrashing a 29-year-old lady constable who on Thursday objected to his cell phone while driving went viral on social media, the Kalgude was re-arrested by the police on Friday evening.
Khadge, who had been granted bail by a local court on Thursday after having been arrested on charges of assaulting the lady police constable, was taken into custody once again, following the orders of Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who ordered the re-arrest of the Sena man.
Though Sena’s youth-wing president Aditya Thackeray distanced the party from the party from the incident by saying “the accused is not, anymore, an office bearer of the party”, the invitation card for the wedding of the daughter of Kalgude’s brother Chandrakant Ganpat Kalgude, scheduled for February 28, 2016 (a copy of which has been accessed by The Pioneer) revealed that the accused Sena man was the Sena’s Shaka pramukh of Thane’s Dharmaveer Nagar unit.
Sources said that the Sena leadership had removed Kalgude post-haste from his party post to avoid further embarrassment.
Kalgude (44) had allegedly assaulted a woman traffic constable after she called him out for using his mobile phone while driving.
The lady traffic constable, who was on duty along the the Eastern Express Highway flyover near Nitin Junction at Thane, spotted Kalgude chatting on his cell phone, while driving an SUV near a flyover. She first signalled out to Kalgude and asked him to stop talking on mobile while driving his vehicle. However, Kalgude did not pay heed to her and continued chatting on hi mobile phone.
In an effort to enforce the rule that bars vehicle drivers from chatting on mobile phones while driving, the lady constable ran after the vehicle stood in front of the vehicle to prevent its further movement.
When the constable asked him to show his driving licence and the vehicle’s documents, Kalgude started abusing her. Before long, Kalgude allegedly started punching her on her face and other parts of the body. Though she retaliated, she was overpowered by the Sena man. Such was the nature of assault indulged on the lady constable by Kalgude, her nose started bleeding.
All this happened in front of a crowd that was mutely witnessed the spectacle for several minutes. Pradeep Pawar, a lawyer who was passing by, intervened little later and got hold of the Sena man by his collar and took him to the nearby Naupada police station.
Kalgude was booked under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his/her duty), 354 (molestation), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt deter public servant from discharge of his duty).427 (mischief) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to prove breach of the peace). He was later produced before a court which granted him bail. Kalgude’s re-arrest on Friday came public furore.
In a statement issued on Friday, Sena’s youth wing president Aditya Thackeray disapproved the incident and disassociated his party from the ciundent.
“The accused is not, anymore, an office bearer of the party. Just because of a sticker on the car, the party must not be dragged into it (the incident). Many people have various stickers, ranging from schools to football clubs to press. It does not mean the party or any organisation endorses the shameful act,” Aditya said.
“The action of the accused is not in the course of party work or did not do it in the name of the party. The Shiv Sena will not support the accused in the case, will get dragged into it and it supports the strictest action against the guilty,” the Sena youth wing chief added.