NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad, 60 supporters booked with legislator Rohit Pawar after latter shouts at cop

Jitendra Awhad. File Pic

Police have registered a case against NCP (SP) MLAs Jitendra Awhad and 60 of his supporters as they were present along with his party legislator Rohit Pawar when the latter shouted at a police officer in Mumbai, officials said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

This is the second case against Awhad related to the clash that occurred between his supporters and those of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar in the Vidhan Bhavan premises last week during the assembly session.

Earlier, Awhad was booked on Thursday for obstructing public servants in discharging their duty while staging protests at the state legislature complex.

Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, got engaged in a heated exchange with a policeman at Mumbai's Azad Maidan police station on Friday, reported PTI.

The incident unfolded after Pawar visited the Azad Maidan police station along with his party colleague Awhad to meet an injured party worker in the Vidhan Bhavan clash on Thursday.

After the scuffle, members of both groups were detained inside the state legislature complex and were eventually handed over to the police.

During the visit to the police station, Pawar was seen shouting at a sub-inspector in Marathi, "Keep your voice down, keep your voice down. If you raise your hand, I will teach you a lesson," reported PTI.

Based on a complaint filed by a 41-year-old police sub-inspector, Bhagwat Gopne, a case was registered on Saturday against Pawar, Awhad and 60 supporters, an official said, reported PTI.

As per the complaint, the supporters staged protests inside the police station, he said.

The charges against the accused persons include unlawful assembly, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, and statements conducing to public mischief under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Police Act, he said, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai court has granted bail to two persons -- one each supporter of NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad and BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar -- in the case pertaining to a scuffle in the Maharashtra legislature complex premises here last week.

The court, in its order while granting bail on Monday, said keeping them in jail will serve no purpose as they are ready to obey bail conditions.

Both the accused have been released on a bail bond of Rs 25,000 each.

The duo was arrested on July 18 following a violent altercation between supporters of Awhad and Padalkar in the assembly lobby when the legislature was having its monsoon session.

(With inputs from PTI)