Shiv Sena gives police Monday deadline over Mira-Bhayandar general body assault, threatens protests

The alleged assault on citizens and journalists at the general body meeting of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation has heated up the city's politics again. Shiv Sena has taken a hard line on the matter. The party says that if police do not take proper action by next Monday, a public agitation will be launched in the wards of the BJP corporators concerned. Shiv Sena office-bearers have made clear that the agitation will also be used to spread awareness among people.

The matter relates to last week's general body meeting. On that day, a dispute arose over filming from the observers' gallery. It is alleged that this dispute later turned into a scuffle. It is claimed that BJP corporators beat up citizens and journalists.

Shiv Sena says that in a democracy citizens have the right to know what happens in the House and journalists have the right to report on events. It says such an incident raises serious questions about journalism and democratic values.

It has been stated that after the incident, a case has been registered at Bhayandar police station against 16 BJP corporators on the complaint of a citizen, Karan Pawar. On the other hand, the BJP corporators and the municipal administration have also filed a complaint against citizens. The complaints and allegations from both sides have given the matter a political colour and further heated up the atmosphere in the city.

Shiv Sena has raised the issue that no separate case has so far been registered on the complaint of the journalists who were assaulted. Shiv Sena office-bearers claim that police are saying the journalists' complaint has been merged into Karan Pawar's complaint. Shiv Sena, however, demands that the alleged attack on journalists be taken seriously and separately, and that strict action be taken against those responsible.

The party says that obstructing journalists or attacking them while they report is a serious matter, and that police should act impartially in such cases. It is therefore demanding that the journalists' complaint be entered separately, that the entire matter be investigated thoroughly, and that action be taken under the law against whoever is found guilty.

Shiv Sena has given the administration until Monday. Shiv Sena office-bearer Santosh Gole has issued a clear warning that if the journalists' complaint is not properly looked into and the guilty are not acted against in the meantime, a public agitation will be held in the wards of the 16 BJP corporators concerned. He said the agitation would tell people about the corporators' alleged hooliganism. Shiv Sena says police should take the matter seriously so that no impression forms that there is delay in attending to complaints instead of taking action.

Clashes between the BJP and Shiv Sena in Mira-Bhayandar have surfaced on several issues before. The clash between the two parties is now expected to sharpen over this alleged assault at the general body meeting. Shiv Sena has warned of agitation directly in the corporators' wards, so political circles are watching the matter closely.

Shiv Sena district chief Raju Bhoir, Manoj Rane, Sandeep Tiwari, Nisha Narvekar, Preeti Patil and several other office-bearers were present on the occasion. People of Mira-Bhayandar are now watching what stand police take by Monday and what Shiv Sena decides about the agitation after that.

Meanwhile, the truth of the allegations is expected to emerge only through investigation. The full picture will become clear only after all parties concerned have been heard and the official police position is available.