BJP corporator from Pune's Khadki assaulted with sticks

Sunil Jadhav (42), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator from the Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB), was assaulted by two men with wooden sticks on Friday night in the Range Hills area of Khadki.

The Khadki police have booked two suspects identified as Arun Shripati Bhalerao and Uday Dende of Khadki. According to the police, 40 shopkeepers in the Khadki Range Hills area called for a meeting on Friday night to discuss a matter over a notice issued by the Ammunition Factory Khadki (AFK) to them.

Jadhav attended the meeting at the Laxmi Cycle Mart in Range Hills area as the local corporator.

AFK had given the shops on contract to people, 40 years ago. According to senior inspector Bhimrao Tele of the Khadki police, the contracts had expired and the factory had asked shopkeepers to shut shop. “On Friday night, shop owners had called a meeting to discuss the matter and the incident took place. We have booked the suspects under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, 1860,” he said.

A witness Anand Patole told DNA, “There were 150 people for the meeting. Initally, Jadhav gave a speech. Later, Bhalerao also gave a speech, but refused to speak on the shopkeepers’ issue. He spoke on caste and politics. As a result, Jadhav requested him to discuss only the current issue. This enraged Bhalerao, who along with his friend Dende, also thrashed the corporator with sticks breaking his leg.’’

The local residents rushed Jadhav to the Khadki Cantonment Board hospital and later to the Sancheti Hospital. On Saturday morning, the doctors performed a knee surgery on Jadhav. A relative of Jadhav, Ramesh Ghadge told DNA, “On Saturday at 12.30 pm, the doctors performed a knee surgery and told him to take rest for one month,’’ he said.

Bhalerao and Dende have been admitted in private hospitals in the city. Tele said, “The suspect’s relatives told us that Bhalerao and Dende were assaulted by Jadhav’s supporters. As a result,
they received injuries and have been admitted to hospitals,’’ he said.