National Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Ahwad was arrested on Friday in Thane’s Vartak Nagar. The NCP leader was arrested after a complaint was registered against him and his supporters for forcefully shutting the screening of the Marathi movie “Har har Mahadev”.
According to reports, Awhad and his supporters manhandled people who had come to watch the Marathi movie. The NCP leader was arrested under sections 141, 143, 146, 149 and 323 of the Indian penal Code (IPC). Apart from Awhad, seven NCP workers were also arrested. They could be take to the court today itself. The complaint was reportedly registered by the viewers of the movie.
The video of Awhad and his supporters also surfaced on social media. In the video, the NCP leader and other workers of the party could be seen manhandling the audience before he was taken out of the multiplex.
As per reports, Awhad and his supporters interrupted the screening of the movie on Monday. He alleged that the movie distorts Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s history. The incident took place at the multiplex in the city’s Viviana Mall. On Friday, the NCP leader and some workers of the party were called to the Vartak Nagar police station for questioning and were then arrested.
However, Awhad remained defiant. The NCP leader in a tweet said, “This is misuse of police force. Now I am ready to fight. Even if you hang me. However, I will not confess a crime that I have not committed.” He termed his arrest as an “abuse of power”.
Notably, Awhad had served as guardian minister of Solapur in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. He is the member of the Legislative Assembly from the Mumbra-Kalwa constituency of Thane city.
