Kirit Somaiya at the BJP office in Thane (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi) The Pune city police have booked more than 250 BJP workers, including some local leaders, on the charges of unlawful assembly after party leader Kirit Somaiya was felicitated on the premises of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Friday (February 11), days after he was allegedly manhandled by Shiv Sena workers at the same place.
Pune city police commissioner Amitabh Gupta confirmed that the offence had been registered after BJP workers gathered in spite of notices issued to them asking them to refrain from doing so.
Somaiya was allegedly manhandled when he visited the PMC building on February 5 to submit a complaint to commissioner Vikram Kumar, alleging financial irregularities in the setting up of Covid-19 jumbo hospitals in the city.
Prashant Late, BJP office-bearer from Pune, had said in his complaint to the police that Shiv Sena workers allegedly pushed and manhandled Somaiya and him on the stairs of the PMC building. Somaiya fell down and was injured, Late alleged in the complaint.
The police booked around 60-70 Shiv Sena workers in the case, including the party’s Pune city chief Sanjay More, on the charges of rioting, criminal intimidation and causing hurt. Later the police arrested 11 Shiv Sena office-bearers and released them on bail.
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