Six arrested for creating ruckus in election office in Bhiwandi ahead of gram panchayat polls

Six people including a Shiv Sena candidate were arrested for creating a ruckus in the election office and causing obstacles in election work at Nimbavli gram panchayat on Tuesday.

Ahead of the gram panchayat elections in Bhiwandi, six people including a Shiv Sena candidate were arrested for creating a ruckus in the election office and causing obstacles in election work at Nimbavli gram panchayat on Tuesday.

Shiv Sena candidate Pravin Gulvi and five others have been booked.

According to the complaint lodged by assistant commissioner of Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) SN Bhalerao, Shantinagar police had booked Shiv Sena candidate Pravin Gulvi and five others under sections 353, 141, 143, 147, 149, 171(c)(1) and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and then arrested them on Tuesday night.

The gram panchayat elections are set to be held on January 15.

The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon at Bhadwad Sampada Naik hall where Bhalerao is appointed as the returning officer. As per the complaint, Gulvi along with his associates went to the election office and hit Ganesh Gulvi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate. The accused also allegedly caused obstacles in election work and damaged property.

“A complaint was lodged with us by the officer. Based on that, we have arrested six accused in the case. The scuffle broke out after Ganesh had come to the election office to complain about illegal banners put up by Pravin. They also damaged some chairs,” said SV Raut, senior inspector, Shantinagar police station.

This was the fourth incident of violence related to the upcoming gram panchayat elections in Bhiwandi. Earlier, two contestants were beaten up. In a separate incident, two unknown bikers opened fire on Shiv Sena shakha chief Deepak Mhatre in Kalher, Bhiwandi in the wee hours of Sunday. Mhatre, who is contesting the gram panchayat elections from Kalher, escaped the firing. Meanwhile in Gundavali village, a contestant and his two brothers were beaten up by 20 youngsters. In another incident, the car of a woman candidate from Kharbao, Kavita Bhoir, was torched.