In second such instance of abuse of power by an elected representative in three days, supporters of Shiv Sena MlA Anil Kadam on Thursday vandalised a toll plaza at Pimpalgaon near Nashik city in north Maharashtra, after the ladies managing the plaza demanded toll from him.
The Sena MlA from Niphad in Nashik district, not only refused to pay the toll of Rs 40 by saying that since the plaza fell in his constituency, but heaped abuses on the lady employees manning the toll plaza and threatened them with dire consequences if he was not allowed to have his way.
Another independent MlA Shirishkumar Kotwal of Chandvad, who arrived on the scene minutes after Kadam stepped out of his car and hurled abuses at the lady staff, also lent his support to the Sainiks indulging in an act of vandalism at the plaza. Caught on camera, the incident unfolded after the lady staff demanded toll from the Sena MlA concerned. In the normal course, the MlAs are exempted from toll when they are travelling by an official car. However, in Kadam’s case, he was travelling by a private car.
The fact that the lady staff of a reputed company that runs the toll plaza demanded toll from Kadam infuriated the latter. “I told you I am an MlA and I also gave my car number. You are running the toll in my area. If you do let my car pass, I will create problems for you,” Kadam told them, as he hurled abuses at the staff. As the lady staff members stood their ground, the agitating Sena MlA ordered his supporters to vandalise the place. Kadam and Kotwal also joined their supporters in ransacking the place.
Before long, the lady staff members lodged a complaint against the Sena MlA with the local police. However, after some of the television channels showed CCTV footage of the incident showing Kadam using abusive words against the lady staff members and his supporters carrying out his order and vandalizing the plaza, the agitating Sena MlA went on the defensive and said that the television channels in question were airing selective and doctored footage which did not give a true picture of what had happened. He denied having misbehaved with the lady staff members.
Thursday’s was the second incident in three days when supporters of an MlA vandalized a toll plaza. late on Tuesday night, more than 100 supporters of Samajwadi Party MlA Abdul Rashid Momin had ransacked the Kasheli toll plaza near Bhiwandi in the neighbouring Thane district, after the he was asked to pay Rs 30 as toll.