A grab of the video that went viral
Police have arrested an NCP leader for allegedly misbehaving with the CEO of PSA Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal Ltd in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) premises in Navi Mumbai. PSA Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal Ltd is undertaking a joint project with JNPT. The police took the action after taking cognizance of a video showing Raigad NCP general secretary Prashant Patil abusing the CEO.
According to a senior police official, Patil barged into the office of CEO Suresh Amirapu on August 10, demanding jobs and land for locals in Uran. Amirapu was chairing a meeting when Patil is seen barged in and hurling abuses and flinging sheets of paper at Amirapu’s face. The video also shows Patil dropping names and claiming that Amirapu was not keeping “the commitment made to (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar”.
A complaint was lodged with JNPT, which was forwarded to Navi Mumbai Police. Taking cognizance of the complaint, the Nhava Sheva police lodged a non-cognizable complaint. After the video went viral, senior officials of Navi Mumbai Police took cognizance of it and registered an FIR against Patil.
“He was arrested on Thursday under sections of the IPC. A court granted him bail. While initially a non-cognizable complaint was lodged, the CP and I decided to register an FIR,” Joint Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai, Prashant Burde told The Indian Express,
A senior official told The Indian Express that Patil dropped names even when he was brought for questioning at the Navi Mumbai Police headquarters. “We received a call from one Satish Patil, who claimed to be Pawar’s OSD. He asked us not to register an FIR against Patil. However, the video clearly shows Patil hurling abuses and dropping names during the discussion with Amirapu, so we decided to convert it into an FIR,” said the official. Another senior official claimed that Patil was present at a meeting between the JNPT director and Pawar around a month ago. “The brazenness with which he dropped Pawar’s name came from his proximity to the boss. It is also evident from the fact that police officers got a call from his OSD to not take cognizance of the matter,” he said.
When contacted, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, “The party cannot justify such an act. It will call for an explanation and take action,” he said.
“It appears the NCP leader was raising local issues of jobs for locals, but there is a way of placing your views. It cannot be through abuse or violence, which may be allowed in other parties but certainly not in NCP,” he added.
