Sena opens second front in war with Rane family

The latest incident could become a new chapter in the Rane-Shiv Sena tussle, after the Union minister’s arrest in August this year

MUMBAI Maharashtra’s minister of state for home Shambhuraj Desai said on Monday that Sindhudurg police is investigating the role of Nitesh Rane, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and son of union minister Narayan Rane, in connection with an alleged attack on Shiv Sena functionary Santosh Parab. Desai, also a Shiv Sena legislator from Patan in Satara, said Rane is incommunicado since Sunday night, and must come forward if he is not involved in the alleged attack on Parab. The BJP legislator, meanwhile, said that the ruling coalition is “framing” him in the case.

On December 18, Parab, a Sena functionary from Kankavli in Sindhudurg was allegedly assaulted. (HT PHOTO)

The latest incident could become a new chapter in the Rane-Shiv Sena tussle, after the Union minister’s arrest in August this year. Narayan Rane termed it as “vengeance,” and said his family is exploring legal options.

On December 18, Parab, a Sena functionary from Kankavli in Sindhudurg was allegedly assaulted in the backdrop of a district bank’s election scheduled for December 30. Parab is a close associate of Sindhudurg District Cooperative Bank chairperson Satish Sawant, who was defeated by Nitesh Rane in the 2019 assembly polls for the Kankavali seat.

Desai said that though two people are arrested in the case, Parab has named Nitesh Rane as the person behind the attack. Desai added that the attackers have also named Rane, which is a “serious matter.” Rane appeared once before the Sindhudurg police in connection with the investigation. He was summoned twice later, but he has not appeared before the local police. “If he (Rane) is not involved then he must go to the police and say so. If he is not contactable, it raises suspicion. Senior police officials are investigating this matter,” Desai said.

He added, “While some accused have been arrested, the victim, Santosh Parab, told the police that the attack’s mastermind was Nitesh Rane. As per police procedure, if a victim suspects somebody, the police will investigate. Nitesh Rane was called once, but officers were not satisfied. The local police will act as per what comes out of the investigation, including arresting him, if required.”

Narayan Rane, Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, told reporters in Nagpur that the claim that his son is incommunicado is false. He said the ruling coalition in the state government is “acting with vengeance” against his son. “The ruling coalition is acting out of fear of defeat in the district bank election. This is nothing but an act of vengeance... He (Nitesh) has not gone underground; there is no need to do so. He is an MLA and is in Sindhudurg district.” He said his family is exploring legal options.

Nitesh, meanwhile, posted a video on his Twitter handle, stating that he is being framed in the case. He said, “The atmosphere among the voters is of enthusiasm and trust in us. Looking at this, the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders are trying to frame me in the Santosh Parab attack case. The way the police are investigating, it would seem attempts are being made to frame me. I wish to tell the people of this state that I am being targetted in the backdrop of the district bank election.”

In Sindhudurg, Vaibhav Naik, Shiv Sena legislator from Kudal, along with local party functionaries met the Sindhudurg superintendent of police demanding action against whoever is involved in the case. “The accused have been arrested, but those behind them must also be nabbed. The police shouldn’t come under the pressure from any Union minister. We demand that the persons involved in the attack must be booked so that the voting [for the district bank election] takes place peacefully,” Naik said.

Desai said, “It is a serious matter that attackers named a legislator at a time when the legislative session is underway. Strict action will be taken against whoever is involved in this matter; whoever has any direct or indirect role in this attack. No matter who the person is, everybody is equal before the law,” he said.

On Monday, Shiv Sena stepped up its attack on Nitesh Rane in the legislative assembly over his alleged mocking of environment minister and Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray last week. Sena MLAs Suhas Kande, Bhaskar Jadhav and Sunil Prabhu demanded that Rane be suspended over his alleged “inappropriate behaviour towards the state environment minister,” and demanded an apology from him. Later, Prabhu also raised the Santosh Parab assault issue in the assembly. Without naming Rane, he asked for those responsible for the attack to be arrested.