3 Maratha quota activists damage advocate Sadavarte’s car, arrested

Three Maratha reservation activists arrested for damaging vehicles belonging to advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte in Parel. Fourth activist remains at large.

Three Maratha reservation activists were arrested on Thursday for allegedly damaging two vehicles belonging to advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte in Parel. A search is on for the fourth one who allegedly recorded the incident on his mobile phone and later posted it on social media.

Mumbai, India – Oct 26, 2023: Adv. Gunaratna Sadavarte's cars were destroyed by an unknown person at Crystal Tower in Parel residence, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, Oct 26, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

“Sadavarte has been talking against Maratha activists, reservation and even demanding arrest of Manoj Jarange-Patil. This had angered Maratha leaders. As a mark of protest, they damaged Sadavarte’s cars. We had already deployed a team outside his residence which helped us arrest them at the spot and limit the damage,” a police officer from Bhoiwada police station said.

According to the police, around 7.15am four people came to Crystal Tower at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in Parel where the advocate lives with his family.

“Since the housing society does not have sufficient parking space most of the cars are parked outside. Shouting ‘ek Maratha, ek lakh Maratha’, three of them broke the windshields of Sadavarte’s Toyota Vellfire and Toyota Fortuner with the help of spade sticks,” the police officer said.

The police personnel present there immediately detained the three but the fourth one who was shooting a video of the vandalisation managed to flee, the officer added.

The three activists, who were later arrested, have been identified as Mangesh Sabale, 25, Vasant Bansode, 32, and Raju Sathe, 32, and they all are residents of Paiga-Georai at Phulambri in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.

Police officers said Sabale is sarpanch of Paiga-Georai village. He was in the news last month after he burnt his new car in protest against the alleged police lathi-charge on Maratha activists sitting on an agitation at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district under the leadership of Jarange-Patil.

The three have been booked under sections 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections of the Bombay Police Act, 1951 and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013.

A court in Sewri granted the accused provisional bail on payment of ₹5,000 each.