Ex-BJP MLA held for criminal trespass in Bhayandar
Always in the news-mostly for wrong reasons, former BJP legislator- Narendra Mehta landed into trouble again, this time for his alleged involvement in a property related dispute in Bhayandar.
The Thane (rural) police have booked 40 people including the legislator, former municipal corporatorPrashant Keluskar and Sanjay Surve on charges of rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal trespass, causing damage and other relevant sections of the IPC. However, no arrests have been made so far.
The FIR followed in response to a complaint filed by local developer- Shyamsunder Agarwal (55) who alleged that the former legislator along with his cronies barged into his property in Todi Wadi area of Bhayandar in a bid to take forceful possession on Tuesday.
The complainant who alerted the police control room and the local police officials, further alleged that the legislator and his cronies abused and manhandled the on-duty private security personnel.
Senior police officials including SP-Dr. Shivaji Rathod immediately reached the spot and ensured that no untoward incident occurred. “The charges are baseless and politically motivated. I reached the spot only after the arrival of the police,” claimed Mehta.
Claiming to have equal rights over the property, Mehta's close aide-Sanjay Surve filed a cross FIR against Agarwal- a habitual property related offender who had shot into the limelight for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Urban Land Ceiling Regulation Act (ULCRA) scam which was busted in 2016.
The police have also slapped charges under the provisions of the Epidemic Act and section 51 (b) of the Disaster Management Act2005 against both sides for violating guidelines which have been imposed to contain the pandemic. Notably, a part of the said land parcel had created hindrances for the ongoing Metro Rail work.