Ex-mayor assaults Cong chief over Modi banners

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Rajkot: A tiff between BJP and Congress workers over banners for chief minister Narendra Modi’s Sadbhavana fast turned ugly on Friday after former mayor Uday Kangad allegedly slapped city Congress president Jaswantsinh Bhatti.
The incident occurred when Bhatti and other local Congress leaders reached Race Course Ring Road and started removing the banners, which the opposition party claimed were hiding Rajiv Gandhi’s statue on the road.
Meanwhile, Kangad and other BJP party workers came there and a heated argument took place between the former mayor and Bhatti. In the heat of the moment, Kangad started slapping Bhatti and allegedly even brandished his revolver.
“We had informed city BJP leaders to remove it and we were doing it peacefully, but Kangad and Arvind Raiyani started fighting with us and threatened us,’’ Bhatti said.
Moreover, the entire violent episode was captured on camera as mediapersons were present when the incident took place. Both parties have filed cross complaints at city police station. Bhatti then filed a complaint against Kangad with Pradhyumannagar police station under various Sections of Indian Penal Code, including 323, 504, 506, 114 and Arms Act. Kangad also filed complaint against Bhatti under various Sections of IPC, including 323, 506, 114 and 427.
Soon after the incident, Congress leaders, including Rajkot MP Kunvarji Bavalia rushed to city police commissioner’s office and sat on dharna, demanding Kangad’s immediate arrest.
The news spread like a wildfire in city during the afternoon and leaders of BJP and Congress rushed to commissioner’s office and demanded started accusing each other for the incident.
Interestingly, a third complaint was filed against Bhatti under Sections of Preventions of Atrocities against SC/ST, alleging that he and his accomplices used abusive words when they were stopped from damage Dr B R Ambedkar’s poster at the site. Reacting to the incident, BJP Rajya Sabha member Vijay Rupani said Congress leaders are trying to derail the Sadbhavana Mission, which is getting an overwhelming response, using all dirty means.
Rupani alleged that Congress leaders were trying to remove Sadbhavana Mission’s banners as well as Dr Ambedkar’s banner from Race Course Ground. Modi is scheduled to hold his Sadbhavana Mission fast in city on December 26 at Race Course Ground.