Pune: A corporator from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was thrashed by BJP members on Friday when he opposed a condolence proposal moved by the BJP at a special session of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) convened to pay tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
A video clip, which went viral, showed a number of BJP corporators, including the deputy mayor, Vijay Autade, Raj Wankhede, Pramod Rathod, Madhuri Adwant and Dilip Thorat pouncing upon Syed Mateen and hitting and kicking, while verbally abusing him.
Mr. Mateen, who is known for his controversial remarks, was escorted out of the chamber by security personnel. The incident also led to a scuffle between BJP and AIMIM workers outside the AMC.
Later, a number of corporators, cutting across party lines, urged Mayor Nandkumar Ghodele to take stern action against Mr. Mateen. They demanded that his membership be scrapped and a sedition case be lodged against him.
“I opposed the ‘Shraddhanjali’ proposal in a democratic manner. I will take legal action against those who assaulted me,” Mr. Mateen said after the incident.
While the AIMIM was quick to distance itself from Mr. Mateen’s provocative behaviour, they condemned the unparliamentary behaviour of the BJP leaders.
“He [Mr. Mateen] is known for pulling such stunts and our corporators have tried to dissuade him from such behaviour. Our party does not subscribe to his actions. At the same time, we strongly condemn the manner in which the BJP corporators assaulted him in the House,” AIMIM legislator Imtiaz Jaleel from Aurangabad told The Hindu.
Mr. Jaleel said the mayor ought to have taken action by reprimanding Mr. Mateen instead of letting the situation degenerate into a free-for-all.
He further said a party delegation had met the Aurangabad Commissioner of Police and that a complaint against the BJP corporators is being contemplated.