Congress leader ‘assaulted by’ Nilesh Rane joins Shiv Sena

A Congress functionary from Konkan,who had accused former Congress MP Nilesh Rane of assaulting him, joined the Shiv Sena on Saturday.

Sandeep Sawant, former Congress president of Chiplun taluka, was welcomed in Sena by party president Uddhav Thackeray.

Nilesh, son of former chief minister Narayan Rane, had been arrested by Chiplun police, after he surrendered following a complaint by Mr Sawant in April that he had been assaulted.

Nilesh’s surrender had come against the backdrop of a May 23 deadline set by the Bombay high court, which he had moved seeking anticipatory bail.

Nilesh was accused of allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Mr Sawant in April. According to the FIR, Nilesh and others allegedly kidnapped Mr Sawant from Chiplun and assaulted him on the way to Mumbai for not attending a rally organised by Nilesh to demand reservation for the Maratha community.

According to Mr Sawant, he did not attend the Chiplun rally because his mother was ill. Mr Sawant was allegedly confined to a house in Andheri in Mumbai and later let off. He then reached Thane and got admitted to a hospital.

The Thane police registered a case.