FIR against NCP legislator for stopping ‘Har Har Mahadev’ screening in Thane

The Thane police have registered a first information report (FIR) against former state housing minister Jitendra Awhad and about 100 supporters who barged into a multiplex in the city on Monday

The Thane police have registered a first information report (FIR) against former state housing minister Jitendra Awhad and about 100 supporters who barged into a multiplex in the city on Monday to stop the late-night screening of the Marathi movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’.

NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad stopped a late-night screening of movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’ at Thane multiplex (HT Photo)

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator from Mumbra who led his supporters into the multiplex at about 9.55pm alleged the Sharad Kelkar-starrer movie distorted the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji to create political hype.

An officer from Thane’s Vartak Nagar police station said the case has been registered against Awhad and others under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Maharashtra Police Act relating to unlawful assembly, rioting and causing hurt.

The case was filed on a complaint by a local resident who come to watch the movie and was allegedly attacked by Awhad’s supporters when he demanded a refund of the money paid to watch the movie.

The movie, Har Har Mahadev, is inspired by Maratha commander Baji Prabhu Deshpande’s legendary rear guard battle that enabled Shivaji’s escape from a Sinhala Fort.

“We will further inquire into the matter and record statements of the complainants,” said the police officer cited above who asked not to be named said

In April 2020, Awhad’s supporters were alleged to have picked up a city engineer for his Facebook post that used a morphed photograph of the lawmaker, taken him to his house and thrashed him.