Shinde hits out at govt amid violent protests
MUMBAI: Revolting Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra government has withdrawn the security of the rebel legislators in a bid to pressurise him. Shinde’s allegations came amid violent protests by Sena workers in parts of the state.
In a letter addressed to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, home minister Dilip Walse-patil and state police chief Rajnish Seth, Shinde alleged that the security of the rebel MLAS was withdrawn by the government. Walse-patil, however, denied any such directives by the government. The home minister clarified that no orders were given to withdraw police protection of MLAS. He also said police have been asked to provide security to the families of the rebel legislators.
The police has detained five persons for vandalising the office of Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, son of rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde, at Gol Maidan locality in Ulhasnagar. “Five persons involved in vandalism were immediately caught by our team and we are investigating the matter. Security has been beefed up in the area and across the city,” said an officer from Ulhasnagar police station.
Sena workers also vandalised the office of rebel party MLA Tanaji Sawant. The protestors wrote “gaddar” (traitor) on a wall of his office and raised slogans against him and other rebel MLAS. “The ransacking of Sawant’s office is just the beginning and the offices of every traitor (rebel MLA) will be destroyed in the coming days,” said Sena corporator Vishal Dhanawade.
Besides, the office of Eknath Shinde at Sadashiv Peth was ransacked and many Sainiks gathered at Yerawada in support of Uddhav Thackeray. “Our party workers vandalised Tanaji Sawant’s office. All traitors and rebel MLAS who have troubled our chief Uddhav Thackeray will face this type of action. Their office will also be attacked. No one will be spared,” said Sanjay More, Shiv Sena Pune city head.
Sawant, who represents the Paranda assembly constituency in the Osmanabad district, warned, “We are patient due to orders from our leader Eknath Shinde. We will tit for tat reply once this political issue is resolved. It is my humble request to (vandals) to stay within their limits.” Incidents of Sena supporters removing or smearing black ink on hoardings of rebel leaders were reported in Kolhapur, Pathan and Navi Mumbai. In Kharghar, effigies of the rebel Sena MLAS were burnt, while posters were put up in Vashi in support of Thackeray. In Nerul, former corporator and Shiv Sena deputy city chief, Satish Ramane, blackened Eknath Shinde’s face on a poster.
(With inputs from Sajana Nambiar and G. Mohiuddin Jeddy)
NEW DELHI: Further details have emerged of the arrest and conviction of top Lashkar-etaiba (LET) operative Sajid Mir, who allegedly directed the terrorists involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, with Pakistani media reporting that he was given a prison term by a Lahore court a week before a crucial FATF meeting.
Hindustan Times had reported on Friday that Pakistani authorities had informed Western interlocutors about the detention and sentencing of Mir sometime before the plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Berlin during June 14-17. The move followed pressure from several Western countries for proof of
Islamabad’s earlier claim that Mir had died some time ago.
Mir, 44, was sentenced by an anti-terrorism court in Lahore in the first week of June to 15-and-a-half years in jail after being convicted in a terror-financing case, the Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday. Mir was also fined Pakistani rupees 420,000 and is serving his sentence at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore, the daily cited a source as saying.
“It all happened so quietly that no one came to know about such an important court verdict in such a high-profile case, except for a very brief report in one of the newspapers, which, too, could not attract attention. His detention, which apparently took place in the latter part of April, was also kept away from media’s prying eyes,” the Dawn reported.
However, people familiar with the matter had said on Friday that the Indian side had learnt from multilateral channels that Mir was arrested in April and subsequently given an eight-year prison term after a low-key trial. Pakistan has so far not informed India about Mir’s case through bilateral channels.
The Lahore-based The Nation daily had first reported about Mir’s conviction on June 7. In a brief report with a Lahore dateline, the daily had said an “Antiterrorism Court (ATC) has convicted Sajid Majeed Chaudhary, also known as Sajid Mir, in a terror-financing case for 15.5 years”. The report added, “The court has also awarded him with a fine of Rs 4,20,000. He was affiliated with a proscribed organization.”
The Nation’s report on Mir’s conviction came exactly a week before FATF’S plenary meeting began in Berlin. In the past, too, Pakistani authorities have announced the arrest or conviction of top terrorist leaders, which had considered Pakistan’s inclusion in the “grey list” for not doing enough.