PUNE: The Chatushrungi police on Tuesday arrested former MLA Harshvardhan Jadhav (43) on the charge of attempt to murder and other serious offences after a 28-year-old IT consultant from Bopodi lodged an FIR accusing him and a woman of assaulting his parents over a road rage incident at Bremen chowk in Aundh around 7pm on Monday.
“We are searching for the 37-year-old woman who was accompanying Jadhav,” a police officer said, adding that Jadhav will be produced before a local court on Wednesday to secure his custodial remand.
Jadhav, who twice represented the Kannad assembly seat in Aurangabad before announcing his retirement from politics earlier this year, is the son-in-law of BJP’s Union minister Raosaheb Danve. However, Jadhav has separated from his wife.
Jadhav has had several run-ins with the law-enforcing agencies in the past.
In the instant case, complainant Aman Chaddha has stated in the FIR that Jadhav and the woman kept hitting his father, Ajay (55), in the chest and stomach despite the latter repeatedly telling them that he is a heart and BP patient. The two kept kicking and punching Ajay even after he fell to the ground and also dealt similar blows to his mother, Mamta (48), when she tried to stop them, the FIR stated.
Later, some people who witnessed the attack caught hold of Jadhav and thrashed him, police said.
Sub-inspector Rajendra Dahiphale of the Chatushrungi police, who is investigating the case, said, “We checked Ajay Chaddha’s medical history and then invoked the charge of attempt to murder.”
Ex-MLA held on murder bid charge after assault on 2
Both Jadhav and his woman associate have also been booked under sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult) and 34 (common intention).
TOI attempted to speak to Jadhav at the police station on Tuesday afternoon, but the police did not allow access to him on the grounds that he was under arrest.
Senior inspector Anil Shewale of the Chatushrungi police told TOI, “Ajay Chaddha has been admitted to a private hospital at Vimannagar for treatment. His wife, Mamta, too has sustained internal injuries.”
(The Incident)
Sub inspector Dahiphale said, “The Chaddha couple was heading towards Parihar chowk from Bremen chowk on their scooter. They were driving past Jadhav’s Honda Jazz car, which he had just parked. Jadhav suddenly opened the door without checking if any vehicle was coming from behind. The scooter crashed into the open door and the couple fell on the road. Mamta sustained injuries to her leg.”
Citing the FIR, Dahiphale said, “The complainant’s father got up to confront Jadhav which led to a verbal altercation and assault. Aman and his brother Karan rushed to the site on learning about their parents being beaten up. They intervened and told Jadhav that their father was a heart patient. But despite listening to the complainant’s pleas, he again punched the father.”
Dahiphale said, “Later, Aman and his brother took their parents to a nearby hospital. His father complained of severe chest pain. The family members took him another hospital located at Vimannagar.”
In the meantime, some passersby and local residents slapped and punched Jadhav. The police came to the spot and rescued Jadhav. “When we were pacifying the crowd, the complainant came there and told us what had happened,” Dahiphale said.
TOI on Tuesday repeatedly attempted to reach complainant Aman on his phone, but he did not answer calls. TOI also sent him a text message but he did not respond.