KALYAN/NAGPUR: An argument between two residents of a building in Kalyan over lighting of incense escalated into a Marathi vs non-Marathi dispute, which echoed in the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Friday and led to suspension of the MTDC officer who allegedly assaulted his neighbour.
CM Devendra Fadnavis told the House an FIR had been registered against the officer, Akhilesh Shukla, and the process to suspend him had been initiated. On Friday, police arrested Shukla and two associates for assault and use of derogatory language against his next-door Marathi couple.
Replying to opposition’s charge in the assembly that Marathis were being discriminated in their own state, Fadnavis said: “Mumbai and Maharashtra belong to Marathi people. Sometimes such characters (Shukla) display arrogance and make brazen statements. But we will not rest until the arrogance of such people is taken down,” he said. “Just like we have a national identity, we also have a regional identity. That regional identity means we are all Marathi. If anyone is attacking that, then we are as upset as you are, so strict action will definitely be taken.”
In the same breath, Fadnavis added that the metropolis was “a global city” which draws people and “everybody lives in harmony.”
Shiv Sena UBT MLC Anil Parab said the incident occurred because BJP was in power. “This is arrogance of power of BJP.” Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said: “From where are people deriving this confidence to make brazen statements?” However, Fadnavis said opposition was needlessly giving the issue a political colour and blaming BJP for it.
The fight among neighbours in Kalyan’s Ajmera Heights started on Wednesday night when Shukla’s wife Geeta lit incense and put it in the common corridor. The Marathi neighbours, Deshmukhs, objected. The Deshmukhs alleged that the Shukla family made comments about Marathi people for their non-vegetarian dietary habits.
Dheeraj Deshmukh told TOI, “When I objected to Shukla and his wife’s remarks, they got angry. After the argument, we came back to the house.” He said after a while 8-10 people from outside the society knocked on his door, called him out, and began hitting him, during which his brother Abhijit too suffered head injuries. Alleging that Shukla took out a revolver from his pocket, he said that the family has intimidated other residents in the building in the past, saying he worked at Mantralaya. Deshmukh also accused Shukla of using an official blue beacon on his car. He said when he first went to the local police station to register a complaint, police were reluctant to record it, which forced him to take to social media.
Shukla surrendered to Khadakpada police on Friday, while his associates, Darshan Borade and Sumit Jadhav, were arrested earlier. Shukla later issued a statement rebutting allegations by the Deshmukhs, saying it was a personal dispute and that he had made no remarks against Marathis in general.
DCP Atul Zende said they are probing if Shukla had eligibility to use the beacon on his vehicle. Police have seized CCTV footage of the incident from the building. Police have also registered a cross-complaint against the Deshmukh family, in which Deshmukh has been accused of assault. Meanwhile, after news about a Marathi family being attacked went viral, MNS and Shiv Sena workers raised the issue and demanded action against the Shukla family.
