Shinde camp, Sena UBT squabble over shakha in Boisar, leaders approach HC

The ABA filed by Manoj Sankhe, Vijay Prasad and Santosh Sawant through advocate Ashley Cusher has claimed that they had been framed in the alleged break-in in the Shiv Sena office in Boisar area at the behest of their rivals

Mumbai The split in the Shiv Sena has now resulted in quibbling at the grass root level and fights among supporters of both factions. One such fight in Palghar saw local leaders from both factions get into a fracas over who would have control over the Sena office in Boisar. Leaders of the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction have approached the Bombay high court seeking anticipatory bail (ABA) in cases registered against them by local Eknath Shinde faction workers.

Shinde camp, Sena UBT squabble over shakha in Boisar, leaders approach HC

The ABA filed by Manoj Sankhe, Vijay Prasad and Santosh Sawant through advocate Ashley Cusher has claimed that they had been framed in the alleged break-in in the Shiv Sena office in Boisar area at the behest of their rivals.

According to the complaint lodged with Boisar police station on October 20 by Nilam Sankhe, who owes allegiance to the Shinde faction the applicants had allegedly entered an office known as Shiv Sena Boisar branch which was operated by a person with disabilities. The complaint states that Manoj, Vijay and Santosh along with seven others had taken away some important documents and ₹25,000 in cash kept in the office for daily expenses and assaulted the disabled person before they decamped with the cash and documents.

However, the applications by the trio states that the said office space is owned by Uday Patil and was used as the Shiv Sena Boisar branch since 1986. Patil and other party workers had been operating the office however it had been shut for the past 3-4 years as the electricity supply had been disconnected due to non-payment of dues.

The application further states that on October 19 (day of the incident) he and some members had gone to the office to clean and reopen it. Manoj has stated that he had the key to the office.

The application states that while Manoj and the others were there, members from the other faction gathered outside the office. Slogans in support of both Thackeray and Shinde were raised, however the incident did not escalate. The application further states that Patil lodged a complaint against Nilam for claiming to be the owner of the office.

According to the application by the trio, the complaint was falsely lodged against them to malign their image and the police had connived with Nilam to frame them and the others. The application further states that as the Palghar court had rejected his ABA on November 1, they were approaching the HC seeking protection from arrest.

The ABAs will be mentioned before the bench of justice Bharati Dangre on Monday.