MNS workers held over fracas

Mumbai: The Shivaji Park police on Friday arrested Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande and three other party workers for threatening a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation assistant engineer and civic staff, following a row over Diwali lanterns put up by them.

According to the police, Deshpande allegedly threatened the BMC employees after the latter tried to remove the candles at Dadar beach during Diwali, a video of which even went viral online.

The G-north ward office of the BMC initiated action against the lanterns and hoardings, the police said.

Soon after the MNS workers learned about the same, they gathered at the beach where the civic workers were present and started a heated debate with them.

The police said that a formal complaint was lodged subsequently.  

The police filed a case against the four under sections 353 (deterring public servant from performing his duty), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 141 (compel any person to do what he is not legally bound to do) and 142 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.

The accused were produced before the Bhoiwada court which remanded them to 14 days’ judicial custody.