BJP MP’s 2 sons among 3 booked for assaulting party youth leader

Aurangabad

: Two sons of BJP’s newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP were among the three persons booked by the city police after the party’s youth wing leader Kunal Marathe accused them of barging into his house and assaulting him late on Saturday night. A video of the alleged assault on Marathe has gone viral.

When contacted, MP Bhagwat Karad refuted the involvement of his sons and said that they had been there to intervene as a scuffle had broken out between Pawan Sonawne (BJP ward deputy chief) and Marathe.

However, in his complaint lodged with the Kranti Chowk police station, Marathe has blamed Harshvardhan Karad as the key suspect, while his younger brother Varun and their accomplice Pawan Sonawne as second and third suspects, respectively.

Kranti Chowk police said that based on the complaint, the three men have been booked on the charges of house-trespass with preparation for causing hurt, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and intentional insult aimed at provoking a person to cause a breach of public peace. Police maintained that prima facie, it appears to be the fallout of a tussle over maintaining dominance in a Kotla Colony ward which is being eyed by the Karads and Marathe for the civic body elections.

Marathe, in his complaint, said that Harshvardhan along with two others knocked on his door at 10 pm on Saturday and said that he (Marathe) is going to contest civic body elections from the ward and warned Marathe to not move around in the ward. This led to an argument. The suspects then barged inside the house and attacked Marathe.

The allegations have been refuted by Harshvardhan, who said that he and friends have been doing social work in the Kotla Colony ward for the past couple of months. As a part of the welfare works, he along with his friend along brother knocked on the door of one of the houses and asked if they need ration or any help. Offended by the same, the person attacked him. He claimed that the video is doctored and he too has lodged a complaint in this regard.


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