Mumbai: Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP) candidate Prakash Hiraji Shivkar, 52,, who won in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti from Kelwane village, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly assaulting and molesting the losing BJP candidate, a 34-year-old woman from Kelvane village in Panvel, police said.
Officers at Panvel City police station said the incident happened on Thursday afternoon at VK High School in Panvel, a counting centre for the polls held on February 21. After he was declared winner, the PWP’s Prakash Hiraji Shivkar, 52, allegedly mocked and verbally abused the losing BJP candidate. Angered, the woman warned Shivkar to stop using abusive language, who allegedly retaliated by slapping and molesting her.
Senior PI Sunil Bajare, Panvel City police station, said, “The incident was due to political rivalry and election results. We arrested Shivkar after we received a complaint of molestation the woman candidate. Shivkar has filed a complaint against the woman for slapping him, and a non-cognisable offence has been registered.” Shivkar’s complaint claims that the woman candidate assaulted him first after she lost, to which he retaliated.
A case has been registered against him under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).
