Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday called up retired Navy officer Madan Sharma, who was attacked allegedly by Shiv Sena workers, to enquire about his health and termed attacks on ex-servicemen are “unacceptable and deplorable”.
Tweeting from his account, Mr. Singh said he had called up Mr. Sharma to wish him a speedy recovery. Mr. Sharma confirmed that the Defence Minister spoke to him and asked for details about the incident. With this Mr. Singh waded into the controversy raging in Mumbai over the attack allegedly by Shiv Sena workers including party’s shakha pramukh for Kandivali, Kamlesh Kadam. Mr. Sharma (65) was attacked on Friday for sharing a cartoon of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thakeray bowing before Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar over WhatsApp.
Mr. Kadam and one of his associates were later arrested after an FIR was lodged by Mr. Sharma.
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Mr. Sharma served as chief petty officer in the Navy and lives in Kandivali East. The BJP in Mumbai has strongly protested the attack with former Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis calling it “extremely sad and shocking” and others in the party terming Mr. Thackeray as running a dictatorship.