Two Shiv Sena candidates arrested for Dombivli violence

The arrested accused, Nitin Patil and his brother Ravindra Patil, are contesting from wards in panel No. 29 in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections scheduled for Thursday

THANE: The police have arrested two Shiv Sena leaders accused of assaulting the husband of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate contesting against them in Dombivli East on Monday night.

Two Shiv Sena candidates arrested for Dombivli violence

The arrested accused, Nitin Patil and his brother Ravindra Patil, are contesting from wards in panel No. 29 in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections scheduled for Thursday.

On Tuesday, the police had arrested five people, including the sons of the two Shiv Sena candidates, in connection with the same case. However, Nitin and Ravindra Patil avoided arrest by getting themselves admitted to a hospital after the attack, complaining of hypertension and difficulty in breathing, said a police officer.

The clash occurred late on Monday between workers of the BJP and Shiv Sena in Tukaram Nagar, Dombivli East, while both parties were campaigning for the civic polls. BJP candidate Aarya Natekar’s husband, Omnath Natekar, was seriously injured, while three party workers sustained minor injuries.

According to the police, Omnath Natekar, along with some BJP workers, was visiting a residential building in Tukaram Nagar for campaigning when they were confronted by Nitin Patil and his supporters. The Shiv Sena candidate accused them of distributing money in the area and stopped them from entering the premises. This escalated into a heated argument and later turned violent. Nitin and Ravindra Patil, along with their supporters, allegedly attacked Natekar on the head with a sharp weapon, causing him serious injuries, said the police.

Although the Shiv Sena and BJP are in an alliance for the KDMC elections, both parties are contesting against each other in panel No. 29, which comprises four wards, due to a lack of consensus over ticket distribution. Nitin and Ravindra Patil are in the fray in the panel, along with Aarya Natekar.

An officer from the Dombivli police station said, “We have arrested Nitin Patil and Ravindra Patil on Wednesday in connection with the attack on BJP workers, and further investigation is underway.”