Sena MLA, supporters ransack toll booth

Enraged over demand of toll, Shiv Sena MLA Anil Kadam and his supporters today allegedly ransacked a toll-booth near Pimpalgaon Baswant on Mumbai-Agra national highway in Nashik district of Maharashtra.

Video footage aired by a private news channel also purportedly showed Kadam abusing the all-female staff at the booth.

Police said Kadam appar- ently lost his cool because the staff demanded toll from him while the MLAs are exempted from toll. He was travelling in a private car at the time.

“Kadam and others were charged with non-cognisable offence under IPC sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at Pimpagaon police station,” a police officer said.

In a similar incident late last night, supporters of SP MLA Abdul Rashid Momin ransacked a tool booth at Kasheli near Bhiwandi in Thane district and assaulted the staff because the legislator was asked to pay toll.

While the MLA was present during the incident, he later denied that he had instigated or led the attack.

An FIR was registered at Narpoli police station in Thane district against Momin and his supporters under IPC sections 336 (act endangering life or person- al safety of others) and 323 (causing hurt) among others. In an unrelated incident, toll recovery at Mangrulphata on Mumbai-Agra national highway was affected after Chandwad MLA Shirish Kotwal (independent) and his supporters started an agitation this morning demanding an underground subway at Vadalibhoi in Nashik district.

NCP LEADER TARGETS BACHCHAN

Amitabh Bachchan may have threatened legal action over a fake video on YouTube that suggested him backing Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister, but this hasn’t stopped a senior NCP leader from taking potshots at the Bollywood veteran.

“Had Bachchan’s intentions been pure, he would have complained to the cyber cell and not with the copyright authorities,” state NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told reporters.

Malik, however, said this was his personal opinion. “His anguish stems not due to ideological reasons but out of pecuniary motive...Big B means big money,” Malik alleged.

“Tomorrow, if he were to get money, he will campaign for Modi,” the NCP leader said. Malik’s comments came on a day when a music composer from Rajkot admitted to having uploaded the fake video on the video-sharing website and apologised.