Amid the continuing political crisis in Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari wrote to the state Director General of Police (DGP) to provide security to the MLAs of Eknath Shinde camp and their families on an immediate basis. “I have received a representation dated 25 June 2022 from 38 MLAs, of Shiv Sena, two MLAs of Prahar Jan Shakti Party and seven Independent MLAs stating that the police security of their families has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn,” the Governor said in his letter to DGP.
“They have also raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in the context of the provocative and threatening statements being made by certain political leaders,” Koshyari said.
Already, offices and homes of some of the MLAs have been vandalised with the police being a mute spectator, he added. “I, therefore, direct you to provide adequate police protection to the MLAs, their families and homes on an immediate basis,” the Governor said.
The Central government has provided ‘Y+’ category armed CRPF security cover to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently in Assam’s Guwahati, top government sources said on Sunday.
The MLAs provided with round the clock CRPF security are Ramesh Bornare, Mangesh Kudalkar, Sanjay Shirsat, Latabai Sonawane, Prakas Surve, Sadanand Saranavnkar, Yogesh Dada Kadam, Pratap Sarnaik, Yamini Jadhav, Pradeep Jaiswal, Sanjay Rathod, Dadaji Bhuse, Dilip Lande, Balaji Kalyanar and Sandipan Bhumare. The security was provided on Sunday by the CRPF which received an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday.
The Central security cover was provided to these MLAs after Shinde on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra government has withdrawn the security cover provided at the residences of 16 rebel legislators, including himself, and dubbed the action as “political vendetta”, although Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil denied any such move.
Shinde had also tweeted a letter signed by 16 MLAs that was addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and state’s Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil.
In the letter, the legislators said CM Thackeray and the leaders of the ruling MVA alliance will be responsible if any harm is caused to their family members. In their letter, the legislators demanded that their security cover be reinstated.
Security forces have been deployed outside the office of Samadhan Sada Sarvankar, son of rebel Shiv Sena MLA, Sada Sarvankar. Also, security has been heightened outside the residence of rebel Shiv Sena MLA Mangesh Kundalkar. CRPF personnel have been deployed along with Mumbai Police.