A video surfaced on social media on Thursday that showed a group of men, led by Maharashtra Congress MLA Nitesh Rane, pouring buckets of mud on engineer Prakash Shedekar to protest the poor state of a hghway.
Maharashtra police arrested the MLA from Kankavali, Goa, along with his supporters on charges of abusing and pouring muddy water on an engineer of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
Nitesh, founder of an organisation named Swabhimaan Sangathana, is the son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane.
The video shared by the news agency ANI also shows Rane screaming at the engineer and a assembled crowd trying to tie the engineer to a river bridge. It has drawn criticism.
This is violent goondagardi and near attempt to murder! This kind of hooliganism coming from Congress MLA should be strictly dealt with by the government! Don’t spare this kind of brazen contempt of law&order by an elected representative. https://t.co/Vwb9WZUabR
— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) July 4, 2019
Taking a jibe at BJP whose MLA Akash Vijayvargiya had assaulted an officer with a bat last month, the Twitter handle of a popular stand-up satire show Aisi Taisi Democracy asked “does this (the assault incident) qualify Rane to join BJP?”
Now BJP has three options:
— Aisi Taisi Democracy (@AisiTaisiDemo) July 4, 2019
1. Arrest Nitesh Rane
2. Ignore Nitesh Rane
3. Invite Nitesh Rane to join BJP
What do you think they will do? https://t.co/cs6kWOsm9G
Have you seen this video?
— Deepti Sachdeva दीप्ति सचदेवा (@DeeptiSachdeva_) July 4, 2019
Let me introduce one more BRAT drunk on power.
This is NITESH RANE @NiteshNRane
Former Maharashtra CM's son.
Do you have a msg for him?#IndiaVsBratNetas pic.twitter.com/2Jecoc4Ltd
Congress MLA Nitesh Rane & his goondas threw mud over an engineer.
— gareebo_ka_Socrates (@ind_pol_noob) July 4, 2019
As usual, he won't face any charge 🤷
Common man: pic.twitter.com/SYWT0je2yu
Some took the opportunity to slam the opponents of the BJP asking: 'Why are those who slammed Akash for his condemnable act silent now?'
Now BJP has three options:
— Aisi Taisi Democracy (@AisiTaisiDemo) July 4, 2019
1. Arrest Nitesh Rane
2. Ignore Nitesh Rane
3. Invite Nitesh Rane to join BJP
What do you think they will do? https://t.co/cs6kWOsm9G
#SackGoondaNetas #SackGoonNetas
— Geetika Swami (@SwamiGeetika) July 4, 2019
Shameful act of Congress MLA Nitesh Rane. Hope congress leaders those condemned Akash Vijayvargiya will voice the same for #NiteshRane.pic.twitter.com/4sONEhTWSK