Mumbai: Shiv Sena member of Parliament (MP) Ravindra Gaikwad, who attained infamy for beating an Air India (AI) employee with his sandal 25 times, is yet to reach his home in Osmanabad after alighting from a Mumbai-bound train on Saturday.
Gaikwad is allegedly in Pune, at his relative’s house and is not expected to go to his house soon, sources said. His supporters claim that a bandh has been called in Osmanabad on Monday to protest against the airlines’ decision to not fly Gaikwad. He is expected to go back to Delhi, and hence apparently is not coming to Osamanabad, and will take a train again. While the contact numbers of Gaikwad and his wife are not available, a certain Mr Joshi, who claims to be Gaikwad’s personal assistant, answered a call made to his house in Osmanabad.
When this reporter asked Mr Joshi about the whereabouts of Gaikwad, he said, “Gaikwad is not in Osmanabad. He has not come here and there is no confirmation on when he will reach Osmanabad. He has to go back to Delhi and will go back via Pune or Mumbai.”
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena in Mumbai clarified that the party has not called for any bandh in Osmanabad. However, Mr Joshi claimed that the party has called for the bandh. “The deputy leader of Sena in Osmanabad, has called for a bandh,” he said.
Sources from Sena mentioned that Gaikwad and his wife are currently staying at a relative’s house in Pune. The Sena MP grabbed headlines after he used his sandals to assault an AI employee for not being accommodated in business class. After the incident, AI and several other airlines barred Gaikwad from flying with them. Consequently, Gaikwad was forced to board a train from Delhi. The media was waiting for Gaikwad in Mumbai on Saturday, but he got down midway at Vapi and left for Pune by road.
