The Union ministry of home affairs on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government for a factual report on Amravati MP Navneet Rana’s allegations of “ill-treatment” at a Mumbai police station, senior officials of the ministry familiar with the matter said.
Navneet Rana and her legislator husband Ravi Rana were arrested in Mumbai on Saturday after they had announced plans to chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside the residence of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
On Tuesday, Anand Limaye, additional chief secretary of the state home department was asked to prepare the report which is to be submitted to state chief secretary Manukumar Srivastava.
Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said: “I went into the details of the allegations and found them baseless. Lok Sabha speaker (Om Birla) has sought a factual report following the letter written by Navneet Rana, which the state government will send within the given deadline.”
“We have CCTV footage of all the places and police stations where the Rana couple were taken that are enough to debunk her claims,” he added.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that the BJP is trying to defame commissioner Pandey but the latter exposed Navneet Rana. “First of all, action should be taken against Navneet Rana as her caste certificate is fake. However, today Sanjay Pandey (Mumbai police commissioner) proved that her allegations against police are baseless,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that the BJP is trying to defame commissioner Pandey but the latter exposed Navneet Rana. “First of all, action should be taken against Navneet Rana as her caste certificate is fake. However, today Sanjay Pandey (Mumbai police commissioner) proved that her allegations against police are baseless,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}State revenue minister and senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said the Ranas were “publicity hungry”. “They (BJP) wanted to disturb peace. She (Navneet Rana) made baseless claims to get sympathy but are smart enough to understand what all is happening around them,” he said.
Sedition charges were invoked against the couple and a court on Monday remanded them in 14-day judicial custody.
The same day, Navneet Rana wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that she was denied water and later mistreated over her caste in Khar police station on Saturday night. Later that evening, the Lok Sabha secretariat sought a factual report from the state government within 24 hours.
Navneet Rana is presently lodged in Byculla women’s prison while her husband is lodged at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.