NAVI MUMBAI/MUMBAI: A clash broke out between supporters of BJP MP Narayan Rane and Shiv Sena ( UBT ) inside Rajkot fort in Malvan when leaders of the two camps reached the site of the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue along with their supporters almost simultaneously on Wednesday, report Umesh Parida & Chaitanya Marpakwar. A constable was injured during the clash. Accusing the rival group of attacking them, Rane, who was with his elder son and ex-MP Nilesh, said, "If we had chosen, nobody from MVA would've returned home.
Don't you know our history?" Besides, Aaditya Thackeray, Vijay Wadettiwar (Congress) and Jayant Patil (NCP-SP) were also at the fort after MVA had called a bandh. Supporters of Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP MP Narayan Rane attacked each other at the Rajkot fort on Wednesday, the day MVA had called a Malvan bandh over the collapse of a Shivaji statue. While slogans were raised by both sides, the rival sides made counter-claims on how the clash began: Rane said they were returning from the site when UBT Sena supporters attacked them, and UBT Sena alleged the scuffle began after a woman supporter carrying the party flag into the fort was assaulted.
UBT Sena leaders and workers were held up by Rane’s supporters on their return, and members of the rival groups jostled and pushed each other. Besides, there were allegations of stone-pelting . Rane supporters held the UBT Sena leaders inside the fort for over an hour during the fracas, and the Ranes were seen arguing with police; Rane later said they said they would not allow them to return as “they had started the attack, and the stones which had been pelted by the UBT supporters had fallen at the statue site”.
Police and security personnel struggled to bring the situation under control, and police reinforcements were sent to prevent any untoward incident. Rane blamed the rival camp for the scuffle. He told reporters, “We did not start anything.
We were returning from the site when they (UBT workers) attacked us. We don’t get involved in petty fights. If we had chosen, n obody would have made it home.
” Rane was also seen telling a policeman, “Ekekala marun takin (I will finish them all).” Sindhudurg SP S K Agrawal said, “Both sides came to the site late though they were given different time slots.” Soon after the clash, following a meeting between Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Congress’ Nana Patole in Mumbai, MVA announced a protest morcha against the state govt over the statue collapse.
It will take place from Hutatma Chowk to Gateway of India. Pawar said the state govt was responsible for the collapse and the Navy could not be blamed. “On Sept 1, a protest will be held against Mahayuti govt,” Uddhav said.
On the clash, he said, “Brokers of Modi-Shah tried to block roads.”.
