BSP city vice-president Jitu Hiwarkar hit on head with iron rod in Khamla; Tanmay Raut accused
BSP city vice-president and OBC leader Jitu Hiwarkar, 30, was seriously injured in an attack in Khamla; police have registered a case against the accused.
Jitu Hiwarkar (30), city vice-president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an OBC leader, was attacked with an iron rod and a sharp weapon in the old settlement of Khamla. He suffered a serious head injury and has been admitted to Deshpande Hospital in Bajaj Nagar's Byramji Town, where he is undergoing treatment.
The incident took place around 11.45 pm on October 3, near the Hanuman temple, opposite Nipane Handloom.
According to police, Hiwarkar had gone to Khamla to counsel his cousin Akash Hiwarkar and end a dispute between them. There he got into an argument with Tanmay Raut and his associates. Raut lives in Sangdev Nagar, Khamla.
It is alleged that as the argument escalated, Raut took an iron rod out of a two-wheeler and struck Hiwarkar hard on the head. Hiwarkar fell injured after the sudden blow. It is also alleged that the accused assaulted Hiwarkar and the women of his family and threatened to kill them.
After the incident, BSP office-bearers led by city president Aniket Kuttarmare approached the police and submitted a memorandum demanding strict action against the accused.
The party has made several demands of the police. It wants the criminal background of the accused examined, a proposal sent to externd them from the city, and CCTV footage and mobile videos of the spot secured and seized. It also pressed for a check of the relevant mobile call records and for statements of eyewitnesses to be recorded.
BSP leaders also demanded protection for the Hiwarkar family and the eyewitnesses. The party said the investigation must be fair and conducted under the supervision of senior police officers, and that the guilty must not be treated leniently. The BSP warned that it would launch an agitation if proper and strict action is not taken.
Pratap Nagar police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 118(1), 352 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police are now investigating the cause of the incident, who else took part in the attack, and what the available CCTV footage shows.
