Somaiya files complaint against state govt, Mumbai police over his detention

Speaking to the media persons after filing the complaint, Somaiya said: "Mumbai Police was indulged into wrongful confinement, abuse of power to stop me from visiting Kolhapur. I was stopped from stepping out of my residence on the day of Ganesh Visarjan. They stopped me at Karad Railway Station."

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday filed a complaint against the Maharashtra government and the Mumbai police at Navghar Mulund East Police Station over his alleged detention at Karad Railway Station.

Somaiya was detained at Karad Railway Station in the Satara district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Monday.(HT file photo)

Speaking to the media persons after filing the complaint, Somaiya said: "Mumbai Police was indulged into wrongful confinement, abuse of power to stop me from visiting Kolhapur. I was stopped from stepping out of my residence on the day of Ganesh Visarjan. They stopped me at Karad Railway Station."

"I submitted a legal notice to Mulund and MRA Marg police stations under section 149, 340, 341, 342 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Mumbai Police and Maharashtra government have to apologise to me within 24 hours," the BJP leader said.

Somaiya was detained at Karad Railway Station in the Satara district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Monday. He was expected to visit Kohlapur on September 20 and was en route to the district via train.

Ahead of his visit, Kolhapur District Collector had issued prohibitory orders against him and imposed Section 144, prohibiting gatherings on September 20 and 21.

The BJP leader was scheduled to visit the properties owned by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif in which he claims corruption has taken place. Somaiya had also levelled allegations of money laundering against Maharashtra Cabinet Ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Anil Parab.

BJP slammed the Maharashtra government over Somaiya's detention and had alleged that the leader was being targeted because he was exposing scams related to corrupt ministers of the government.

Earlier in the day, Mushrif said that he will file a ₹100 crore defamation suit against Somaiya.

"The allegation which is being made by Kirit Somaiya is part of BJPs big conspiracy and Chandrakant Patil is the mastermind of this. I have been very vocal about the Centre using central agencies against Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and on the issue of Parambir Singh. It is the reason I am being framed by BJP through Kirit Somaiya to stop me," he stated.