Mumbai, Jan 7 (PTI) The brother of Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Gopichand Padalkar and a mob of 100-150 persons were booked for allegedly demolishing shops and other establishments on a plot of land in Maharashtra’s Sangli district in the early hours of Saturday, an official said.
As per the police complaint lodged by affected shopkeeper Vishal Sanmukh, the MLC’s brother Bramhadev Padalkar and others used excavators between 2am and 3:30am to remove the structures on a land parcel opposite a bus stand in Miraj, some 380 kilometres from here, the official said.
Sanmukh has claimed it caused loss of Rs 1.13 crore to him, he said.
Padalkar and some 100-150 unidentified persons have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 336 (endangering life), 448 (house-trespass), 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons), he said.
Meanwhile, MLC Padalkar defended his brother claiming the land parcel belonged to the latter and the structures were encroachments whose owners had received civic notices for removal.
Speaking to reporters, the MLC said, “The day before yesterday, the civic administration issued reminder notices and had directed for removal of encroachments anyhow. Hence, the encroachments were removed. Nothing wrong has been done.” The BJP legislator claimed his brother had made “alternate arrangements” for slum-dwellers on the plot.
Police said personnel had been posted at the site as well as some other parts of Miraj to maintain law and order.
Reacting to the incident, local All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s (MIM) leader Mahesh Kumar Kamble said an all-party meeting will be called later in the evening to enforce a ‘Miraj bandh’ on Sunday. PTI KK BNM BNM
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