 "Shiv Sena and Yuva Sena")
Union minister Narayan Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon over his 'would have slapped chief minister Uddhav Thackeray' remark and being taken to Mahad where he was likely to be produced before a court, Maharashtra police sources said.
Cases were registered against the BJP leader at Mahad in coastal Raigad district as well as at Nashik and Pune as his controversial remark accusing Thackeray of not knowing the year of India's independence set off angry protests by workers of the ruling Shiv Sena.
He was taken into custody at Galavali in Ratnagiri district during his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', and first taken to Sangameshwar police station.
A team of Nashik police too had set out to take his custody, but Rane was handed over to Raigad police around 2.45 pm in connection with the FIR registered at Mahad, 160 km from Mumbai, a police official said.
He was likely to be produced before court at Mahad either on Tuesday or Wednesday, police sources said.
The First Information Report at Mahad has been registered under IPC sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief). His supporters staged protests near the Sangameshwar police station after the arrest. After he was taken into custody, a doctor checked him. A BJP leader claimed that Rane had high blood pressure and sugar levels and doctors advised that he should be hospitalized as he is also a diabetes patient. The arrest followed Rane's statement targeting chief minister Thackeray in Raigad district during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra on Monday. It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap, Rane had said.
The former chief minister claimed that Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address.
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