The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition moved by Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her husband, MLA Ravi Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly assaulting the police officer who came to arrest the couple. The police took the action against the couple after they threatened to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence in Mumbai. While reprimanding the petitioners, the court said, “Those persons who are in public life must behave as responsible as it is said to power comes with responsibility.”
“The state government is justified in the apprehension that it could create a law and order problem,” stated the court. “Those who are active in public life are expected to act responsibly is not an extra thing but basically an expectation which must be followed,” as per the court. Earlier on Sunday, the MP-MLA couple was arrested in Mumbai. Currently, MLA Ravi Rana is lodged in Taloja Jail and MP Naveneet Rana is lodged in Byculla Jail. “A case is registered at Khar Police against MLA Shri Ravi Rana and MP Smt Navneet Kaur Rana under sections 153(A), 34, IPC r/w 37(1) 135 Bombay police act,” stated an official release by the police.
On Sunday they were sent to judicial custody for 14-days by a Metropolitan Magistrate court in Bandra.
On Saturday, a row started when MP Navneet Rana and her husband stated that the couple planned to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside “Matoshree” (Maharashtra CM’s Mumbai residence), after which a huge crowd gathered outside the residence of the political couple waving flags with an aim to prevent them from reaching the Chief Minister’s residence. The Ranas withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sainiks that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups.
Navneet Rana on Monday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla issuing a clarification of her action. “I, with the sincere hope to rekindle the flame of Hindutva in Shiv Sena had declared that I shall go to the residence of the Chief Minister and chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside his residence. This was not meant to incite any religious tensions,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, 16 Shiv Sena workers, who were arrested by Khar Police on Sunday for allegedly creating a ruckus outside the residence of the Ranas, were granted bail by a Mumbai Court on Monday. The workers have been released.
In a related development, Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece “Saamana” on Monday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its desperation to oust the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is orchestrating the “Hanuman Chalisa” row. “The recent ruckus stirred up by the BJP in the name of Hindutva cannot be supported…the BJP is behind this (controversy). They had planned to disturb the peace of Mumbai using (MP-MLA) Rana couple and everything happened on their instructions that outraged the Shiv Sena workers and the couple was not allowed to step outside their house,” the “Saamana” editorial argued.
A report from Pune said that amid the row over loudspeakers, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday took a jibe at the Opposition BJP in Maharashtra saying that some people were getting anxious after losing power. State BJP leaders have been claiming that the people of Maharashtra feel there should be President’s rule in the state. “The threat of the imposition of the President’s rule is always made, but it has no outcome. If a poll situation arises, then the recent Kolhapur by-election result has shown what kind of result would be there,” Pawar told media persons while referring to the result of a byelection in the Kolhapur North Assembly constituency. Congress had won the recently concluded Kolhapur byelection by retaining its power and defeating BJP. He further said, “Power comes and goes and there is no need to be anxious. Some people are getting anxious and I don’t blame them, because before the state election (in 2019) claims were made of coming again to power but it did not happen and hence they are anxious.”
Meanwhile, a BJP delegation consisting of five party MLAs on Monday met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and submitted a detailed report on the attack on former Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya allegedly by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra. Somaiya was also part of the BJP delegation. Somaiya said, “We had a detailed discussion with the Union Home Secretary on the situation in Maharashtra. He assured us that he is looking into the incident and if necessary a special team from Delhi will be sent to Maharashtra.” The memorandum submitted by the delegation stated that Somaiya on 23 April was assaulted by 70-80 activists of Shiv Sena at the gate of Khar police station premises in the presence of police personnel. He was attacked with stones, bottles and chappals while returning from the police station, alleged the BJP delegation, while also stating that during the assault the glass window of his car was broken and he was injured. Somaiya alleged that the police supported the goons during the assault and the Central Industrial Security Force commandos were also beaten. Somaiya requested for a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Home Ministry while also asking that the CISF be asked to register another FIR with the Mumbai police.