Case registered by Chiplun Congres taluka chief against Rane junior.
Case registered by Chiplun Congres taluka chief against Rane junior.
The Thane police on Tuesday registered a case of kidnapping and assault against former Congress MP Nilesh Rane and four of his followers after a Chiplun Congress taluka president gave a written complaint to the police. The police said the victim, identified as Sandip Sawant, is the taluka president of the Congress in Chiplun.
Mr Sawant has said in his statement to the police that Nilesh Rane and his followers kidnapped him because he did not attend a party meeting and rally.
On Sunday, he was kidnapped, assaulted and then kept at Narayan Rane’s Juhu bungalow. The next day, the kidnappers left him at his in-laws house near Jogeshwari. Later, Mr Sawant’s maternal uncle took him to his place in Thane and admitted him in a hospital.
Mr Sawant’s wife Shivani said, “My husband’s mother was not feeling well since the past few days. My husband is a very loyal party worker; he has never missed any meeting with Narayan Rane sir. But this time, as his mother was ill, he decided to stay back home on Sunday. Later in the night, Nilesh Rane and a few party workers came to the house. I thought they would discuss something about the meeting. So I went into the kitchen to make some food for them. At that time my son saw the party workers beating up my husband. Later, he was pushed into a car and was brutally assaulted by (Nilesh) Rane.”
She added, “My son and narrated what had happened to me. I tried calling up my husband as well as Nilesh Rane but both did not attend my call. Later, I called Narayan Rane and even he did not attend the call. In the end, I called Narayan Rane’s wife, Neelam Rane, and narrated the entire incident to her and told her if my husband is not freed, I would complain to the police. She then called Nilesh Rane and the next day, they freed my husband.”
Thane police official Gajanan Kabdule said, “Mr Sawant alleged that Rane was upset with him for not attending the Maratha meet in which the Congress is planning a state-wide shutdown for demands of the Marathas. We have taken his complaint and transferred it to the Chiplun police station.”
Congress MP Nilesh Rane has refuted the allegations. He said that Mr Sawant had demanded Rs 10 lakh from him and was making allegations after he was refused the amount. Nilesh Rane termed it political vendetta.
