AIMIM corporator, who opposed motion on Vajapyee, arrested

BJP members also booked after ruckus

An AIMIM corporator has been arrested in Aurangabad on charges of trying to promote enmity and incite riot after he opposed a resolution in the municipal corporation to pay tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, police said on Saturday.

The police later also registered a case against five BJP corporators including the deputy mayor of the city for allegedly thrashing the AIMIM corporator at the meeting of the civic body in Aurangabad in central Maharashtra.

Syed Mateen Sayyad Rashid, a member of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) belonging to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), was arrested on Friday night, a police official said.

The arrest was made after a complaint was filed against him by the AMC’s security officer, he said.

Rashid (32) was booked under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 294 (obscene acts in public) at the City Chowk police station.

Earlier on Friday, Rashid was allegedly thrashed by BJP corporators for opposing a condolence motion for paying homage to Vajpayee who died in New Delhi on August 16.

The alleged incident took place during the general body meeting of the civic body, ruled by BJP-Shiv Sena combine.

After the meeting began, BJP corporator Raju Vaidya tabled a proposal to pay tributes to Vajpayee. Rashid opposed it, which infuriated the saffron party members who allegedly thrashed him, the police official said.

A video clip purportedly showing Rashid being kicked, punched and slapped by BJP corporators went viral on social media and was also aired by some TV channels.