They say charity begins at home. But for some, it begins in the homes of others -- or rather their restaurants. A group of hoteliers recently lodged a police complaint against an aspiring leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), alleging that he tried to cash in on the Uttarakhand tragedy by using it as an excuse to fill his own coffers.u00a0

Forced charity: MNS worker Dattatray Mane told the complainants that he was sending six trucks to Uttarakhand loaded with grocery, clothes and cash for those affected by the floods. He said the cost for filling each truck was Rs 60,000 and demanded Rs 5,000 per head. When they offered to pay Rs 1,000 each, he threatened them. File pic