TEEN MOLESTED BY SENA LEADER GETS POLICE PROTECTION

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai police provided protection to a 19-year-old college student, who had registered a molestation case on Monday against Shiv Sena corporator Namdeo Bhagat.

Bhagat, 51, a member of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s (NMMC) standing committee, got anticipatory bail from Alibaug sessions court on Tuesday.

The case will be heard on September 1. Bhagat has to keep visiting the Uran police station till then to mark his attendance.

The police suspect that Bhagat’s supporters may harm the teenager or her family members for registering the case. Thus, a few women constables have been deployed at her residence. Some policemen have also been assigned to look after the lawand-order situation in the neighbourhood.

Sudhakar Pathare, deputy commissioner of police (zone I), said, “Usually, in such cases, we provide protection to the complainants.”

Bhagat’s supporters abused a local journalist who visited the teenager’s residence in Nerul on Tuesday.

They snatched his mobile phone and hurled abuses at him in front of the police. A separate non-cognisable case has been registered against them.

On Sunday, Bhagat allegedly molested the woman by taking her to his farmhouse in Uran on the pretext of giving her monetary help.

The teenager on Monday approached the Uran police and registered a case under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Bhagat.