BJP MLA booked for rioting in Thane

After police registered an offence against the MLA, journalists from Bhayander who had staged a sit-in in front of the police station since Monday called off their protest.

Thane, Feb 28: More than 200 people including Bhayander BJP MLA Narendra Mehta have been booked for rioting in the township on February 24, police said on Tuesday.

Thane District Rural police booked all of them last night under sections 143,147,149, 452, 504, 506 and 427 of the IPC and also under sections 37(1)/135 of the BP act following a complaint in this regard. After police registered an offence against the MLA, journalists from Bhayander who had staged a sit-in in front of the police station since Monday called off their protest.

The journalists had undertaken the protest after Mehta and irked BJP activists, took objection to a picture of State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a publication and allegedly threatened scribe Vasant Mane. Mehta along with his men had held a dharna at the Bhayander police station on the night of February 24 and later took a morcha to Mane's house where the legislator allegedly abused and threatened him and his wife.

Mane's house was ransacked too following which a complaint in this regard by filed by the local journalists association, demanding strong action against the culprits.

PTI