Pradeep Jaiswal, the Shiv Sena MLA of Aurangabad Central Constituency, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment and a Rs 2,500 fine on Monday in connection with the communal riots that rocked the city in May 2018.
The conviction pertains to a case in which Jaiswal was accused of vandalising the Kranti police station and browbeating the on-duty police officers to release the arrested youth accused of fomenting violence.
As per the details of the case, the Kranti Chowk police had arrested two youths from the Gandhinagar area for their involvement in the riots that took place on May 11 and 12, 2018, in Aurangabad. Jaiswal had gone to the police station at around 11 pm after receiving this information. Head constable Chandrakant Pote was on duty. The Shiv Sena MLA reportedly asked him to release the arrested youth.
However, Pote refused to release the accused, arguing that assistant police inspector Shaikh Akmal had arrested them, and he will call the police officer for their release. API Shaikh quickly rushed to the police station. In the meanwhile, Jaiswal asked Pote to stop his work and started abusing and misbehaving with other police officers. Jaiswal was accompanied by 8 to 10 activists, who then went to vandalise the police station.
When the personnel on duty denied permission, he smashed the glass on the table and threw chairs around the station. Based on the directives from the senior officials, Pote filed a complaint against Jaiswal, accusing him of obstructing the government work, threatening the government employees, and other relevant sections.
Jaiswal was booked under Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
2018 Aurangabad riots
Two persons died and around fifty others, including a dozen policemen, were injured as clashes broke out between two communities in Aurangabad city in central Maharashtra on May 11, 2018. The riots started in the Moti Karanja area around 10 in the night and spread to Gandhi Nagar, Raja Bazaar, Shah Ganj and Sarafa areas. More than 100 shops and 80 vehicles were torched by the rioters.
According to the reports, tensions were running high in the Moti Karanja area for a few days before the riots amidst the drive carried out by the municipal corporation against illegal water connections. The riots were triggered when an illegal water connection at a place of worship in the area was removed, a report said. Following the riots, Shiv Sena leaders accused Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM of fomenting violence and creating ruckus in Aurangabad.