Ex-Mira Bhayandar Mayor, 19 Others Booked for Assault, Rioting during Navratri Event

Thane: Around 20 persons, including a former mayor of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) and her ten bodyguards, were booked for allegedly manhandling the organisers of a Navratri event in the township and creating a ruckus, police said on Thursday.

The offence was registered at the Naya Nagar police station in Mira Bhayandar after the incident that took place on Wednesday night, police said. Former mayor of Mira Bhayandar, Geeta Jain, her 10 bodyguards and followers were booked, they said.

According to police, the incident occurred during the event held in Shanti Nagar area in the township, where the current mayor of Mira Bhayandar, Dimple Mehta, was being felicitated.

She is the sister-in-law of Narendra Mehta, BJP's sitting MLA from Mira Bhayandar, who has been renominated by the party from the seat for the assembly elections due later this month. Jain is Mehta's political rival.

"During the function, Dimple Mehta was being felicitated. Just then, Geeta Jain also arrived there along with her followers and 10 bodyguards," Deputy Superintendent of Police of Mira Road Division, Shantaram Valvi, told reporters.

According to police, Jain wanted that she was also felicitated at the event. Although the organisers asked them to wait until the main programme got over, Jain and her followers continued with their demand.

"Jain's bodyguards and her supporters then went on to the stage and manhandled the organisers of the event and some women present there, which led to chaos," Valvi said.

Mehta's supporters, including some BJP corporators, rushed to Naya Nagar police station and demanded that an offence be registered against Jain and her followers.

The police later registered a case against Jain and others under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and others late Wednesday night, the officer added.