Within hours of taking charge as the Congress District President of Mira Bhayandar unit, a case has been registered against Pramod Samant at Navghar Police Station. The Congress office bearers and activists, including Samant, have been charged for non-compliance with social distance during the agitation on Friday.
A 15 Congress activists including newly appointed Congress District President Pramod Jairam Sawant, Youth Congress President Deep Abhay Kakade, Kunal Katkar and Seva Dal President Ravindra Ramshankar Upadhyay booked by the Navghar Police. Significantly, Pramod Samant was appointed as the District President on Friday. A statement in this regard was released by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) in the evening. The case has been registered at Navghar Police Station.
Against the backdrop of Coronavirus pandemic, the central government has announced a package of Rs 20 lakh crore. However, for asking the central government ‘where did this money go?’ Youth Congress workers staged a sit-in agitation outside the BJP Central Office in Mira-Bhayandar. They also hold the posters of BJP’s election symbol ‘Lotus’ upside down. However, BJP’s Mira Bhayandar spokesperson Ranvir Jaiprakash Bajpai lodged a complaint at the Navghar police station. After he saw the pictures circulated on social media. He alleged that the activists took part in the agitation in a wrong manner without following the social norms of the lockdown.
Congress workers booked
However, Navghar Police has booked the Congress activists under various sections of different laws. Police charged them under sections 188, 269, 270, 271, 290 of Indian Penal Code (IPC); sections 2, 3, 4 of Epidemic Disease Act, 1897; section 11 of Maharashtra COVID-19 Act, 2020; section 51(b) of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and section 37(1)(c) of Maharashtra Police Act, 1951.
However, Police has not arrested anyone, yet. Police Sub Inspector Kiran Vanjari of the Navghar Police Station is probing the case.
What BJP said
“Congress workers have violated the rules by gathering a crowd during a pandemic outside the Bharatiya Janata Party’s office. We simply condemned that. At the same time, if they raise their issue through any forum, then the BJP will answer every issue. However, no one has the right to take the law into their own hands,” said the BJP spokesperson.
“As for the account they need, we want to ask, the Congress and its alliance government should give the account of Rs 15 Thousand Crores have been sent to the state from the centre. We will provide you with the remaining account,” said Bajpai.