The Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former city mayor Datta Dalvi for allegedly making “derogatory” remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, an official said.
The arrest came following a complaint filed by supporters of the chief minister, who alleged that Dalvi had made derogatory remarks during a public gathering in Bhandup, PTI reported.
As per the complaint, Dalvi said that Shinde has now gone with the BJP and had the late Anand Dighe – a Shiv Sena leader from Thane known to be Shinde’s mentor – been alive, he would have “smashed Shinde and thrown him out”. “We have all seen what he has done in the past. ****, do you even know the meaning of Hindu Hridaysamrat?” the complainant quoted Dalvi as having said, Indian Express reported.
Several Shiv Sena (UBT) faction members were present at the event.
On the basis of the complaint, an FIR was registered against Dalvi under various Indian Penal Code sections including 153 (a) (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 153 (b) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).
Datta Dalvi, currently in the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, held the post of mayor of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from 2005 to 2007 when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance ruled the body. Before that, he served as a corporator in the BMC for three consecutive terms.
According to the Bhandup Police, a meeting was organized by the Uddhav Thackeray faction near Bhandup Police station and in that meeting, Dalvi used objectionable language against CM Eknath Shinde.
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“After that, a case was registered against Dalvi by the people of the Shinde faction,” Bhandup Police added.
Soon after Dalvi’s arrest, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut reached Bhandup police station along with his supporters. Later, addressing the media outside the police station, Raut said, “Cabinet minister Abdul Sattar used derogatory language against NCP leader Supriya Sule. (Narayan) Ranes use derogatory and abusive language all the time but no action is taken against them. I want to tell this government that in 2024, you will all go behind bars.”
(With inputs from PTI)