A 33-year-old Wadala resident was allegedly assaulted by local Shiv Sena party workers for a Facebook post referring to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in derogatory terms. The Wadala TT police issued notices to him and his assailants.
The resident, Hiramani alias Rahul Tiwari, works at a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai and is a resident of Shanti Nagar in Wadala (East). In his statement to the Wadala TT police, Mr. Tiwari said in a Facebook post on December 20 he had commented on Mr. Thackeray’s remarks comparing the police action against anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters in Delhi to the Jalianwala Bagh massacre.
“On Sunday, some people came to my house and called me outside. They took me some distance away, where Samadhan Jugdar, the local Shiv Sena Shaka Pramukh, was waiting. He, along with several others, abused me, and Mr. Jugdar shaved my head with an electronic trimmer,” Mr. Tiwari said. A couple of patrolling policemen saw this and took the entire group to the police station.
“After hearing both sides, we issued notices to both Mr. Tiwari and Mr. Jugdar, warning them against indulging in any more activities in the virtual or physical space that could lead to law and order problem,” an officer with the Wadala TT police station said.
Mr. Tiwari said, around 7.30 a.m. on Monday, he received a link on WhatsApp from a friend and saw a Facebook post, which showed a video of his head being shaved.
“On close examination, I realised that it was Mr. Jugdar himself who had posted the video on his Facebook page. I went back to the police station on Monday and recorded a detailed statement, seeking stricter action, against Mr. Jugdar for aggravating the matter and putting me and my family at risk,” Mr. Tiwari said.
