Shinde Sena protests police manhandling of its minister on assembly steps

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena protested the alleged police manhandling of Tourism Minister Shambhuraj Desai on the steps of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly here on Monday. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLAs sat on the steps of the legislature in protest against Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi for the manner in which the elections to Satara Zilla Parishad were held on Friday, raising slogans against the police official. Advertisement Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was seen upset and angry with the protest by Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLAs. Later, he came to the hall and discussed the issue with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Tourism Minister Shambhuraj Desai of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, who was allegedly manhandled by the police in Satara. The issue was raised in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council as well. In the Legislative Council, Desai and other members of the two parties demanded the suspension of Tushar Doshi for the incident. Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ministers and legislators also demanded action against the "partisan" Satara Superintendent for allegedly helping parties allied to the BJP in the election. After the issue was raised in the House, Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe ordered suspension of SP Doshi. The BJP won the Satara Zilla Parishad (District Council) election despite the Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP having the members due to cross voting. Two NCP members were arrested on kidnapping charges while they were on their way to vote in the election conducted to elect the Satara District Council Chief. On Friday, the BJP won the Satara Zilla Parishad (District Council) defeating the Shiv Sena-NCP alliance which led to allegations that two councillors were prevented from voting at the Satara Zilla Parishad (District Council) election, using the police. During the Satara Zilla Parishad (District Council), the Tourism Minister as well as Satara Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai, of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, was allegedly attacked by police personnel in plain clothes. "This has happened for the first time in my 40 years of political career. I was with Ajit Pawar-led NCP minister Makarand Patil and Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLC Shashikant Shinde. I was beaten by the police when I was going into the Satara Zilla Parishad (District Council) building. I was bleeding. Minister Patil's brother, Rajya Sabha MP Nitin Patil, was dragged from the staircase. This is unprecedented. In this confrontation, two of our members were kidnapped by the police," Desai said in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, here on Friday. He alleged that BJP workers were allowed inside the Zilla Parishad building, but not Desai himself as well as others. "The Satara Superintendent of Police worked like a puppet. He should be suspended along with other subordinates," the Tourism Minister as well as Satara Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena said, demanding a judicial probe into the incident. Ajit Pawar-led NCP minister Makarand Patil, who was with Shambhuraj Desai when the alleged incident took place, alleged that the Satara police behaved in a partisan manner by registering false complaints against their members. "Despite being ministers, we were treated like criminals. Even an accused person cannot be prevented from voting. But here, elected members were stopped from voting in Satara district," Patil alleged. "The BJP may be happy about this victory for the moment, but there will be bigger polls in the future. At that time Shiv Sena and NCP will take their respective stands. I have been in politics for the last 40 years but have never seen such misuse of power by any establishment. I was surprised and shocked. My grandfather was the Home Minister of Maharashtra, but he never misused power to trample the opposition and dissenting voices. What we are witnessing today is quite unprecedented," Shambhuraj Desai warned.