Sena opens war with Rane family
Nitish posted video claiming that MVA leaders are framing him in the Santosh Parab attack case
MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s minister of state for home Shambhuraj Desai said on Monday that Sindhudurg police is investigating the role of Nitesh Rane, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and son of union minister Narayan Rane, in connection with an alleged attack on Shiv Sena functionary Santosh Parab. Desai, also a Shiv Sena legislator from Patan in Satara, said Rane is incommunicado since Sunday night, and must come forward if he is not involved in the alleged attack on Parab. The BJP legislator, meanwhile, said that the ruling coalition is “framing” him in the case.
The latest incident could become a new chapter in the Rane-shiv Sena tussle, after the Union minister’s arrest in August this year. Narayan Rane termed it as “vengeance,” and said his family is exploring legal options.
On December 18, Parab, a Sena functionary from Kankavli in Sindhudurg was allegedly assaulted in the backdrop of a district bank’s election scheduled for December 30. Parab is a close associate of Sindhudurg District Cooperative Bank chairperson Satish Sawant, who was defeated by Nitesh Rane in the 2019 assembly polls for the Kankavali seat.
Desai said that though two people are arrested in the case, Parab has named Nitesh Rane as the person behind the attack. Desai added that the attackers
The atmosphere among the voters is of enthusiasm... Looking at this, the MVA leaders are trying to frame me...the way the police are investigating, it would seem attempts are being made to frame me NITESH RANE, BJP legislator
have also named Rane, which is a “serious matter.” Rane appeared once before the Sindhudurg police in connection with the investigation. He was summoned twice later, but he has not appeared before the local police. “If he (Rane) is not involved then he must go to the police and say so. If he is not contactable, it raises suspicion. Senior police officials are investigating this matter,” Desai said. He added, “While some accused have been arrested, the victim, Santosh Parab, told the police that the attack’s mastermind was Nitesh Rane. As per police procedure, if a victim suspects somebody, the police will investigate. Nitesh Rane was called once, but officers were not satisfied. The local police will act as per what comes out of the investigation, including arresting him, if required.”
Narayan Rane, Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, told reporters in Nagpur that the claim that his son is incommunicado is false. He said the ruling coalition in the state government is “acting with vengeance” against his son. “The ruling coalition is acting out of fear of defeat in the district bank election. This is nothing but an act of vengeance... He (Nitesh) has not gone underground; there is no need to do so. He is an MLA and is in Sindhudurg district.” He said his family is exploring legal options.