Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Tension prevailed in Naregaon, on Monday morning, after a member of the Municipal Corporation’s Nagari Mitra Pathak (NMP) grabbed a young man by the collar and kicked him all without consulting the police, during an argument over removing the steps of a house. This escalated tensions during the anti-encroachment drive. The police intervened and resolved the dispute. However, just moments later, local residents beat up another young man in front of police officers for recording the incident on his mobile phone. The situation prompted the police to conduct a mild baton charge to bring things under control. The incident occurred between 3.30 pm and 4 pm.
The fresh round of the drive on August 4 began by removing the steps in front of the residence of Kadar Shah, located on the main road. Shah’s sons argued that residential properties were given a deadline until August 15 and requested that their steps not be removed yet. This led to raised voices on both sides. The local residents stopped the JCB machine from proceeding, which sparked the first confrontation. The NMP squad then tried to drag Shah’s son by his collar. By the time police officers rushed to the scene, the young man was already on the ground and being kicked by municipal personnel.
Police intervened and took youth inside the house
Concerned that the situation might spiral out of control, the police attempted to remove the young man from the crowd. However, one member of the NMP continued to hold his collar, which angered the police. They took the youth inside the house and instructed him not to come out again. Meanwhile, locals claimed that stones were also thrown during the scuffle, though police denied this.
Mild lathi-charge after tensions flared again
A large crowd had gathered to witness the chaos. While the police tried to disperse the onlookers, a local youth was filming the entire incident on his mobile phone. Shah’s son and a minor came out of the house again and assaulted the person recording the video. Inspector Gajanan Kalyankar and constable Vijay Telure quickly rushed to the scene. Even in their presence, an attempt was made to slap the youth, prompting the police to perform a mild baton charge on the attackers and the crowd.
Police deployment details
The police force deployed at the site included one deputy commissioner of police (DCP), one ACP, four police inspectors (PI), 10 APIs, four PSIs, 150 constables and Riot Control Squad and Quick Response Team (QRT). In total, around 300 police personnel were deployed.
Decisions must be based on local assessment
A senior officer said, "Local police understand the dynamics of their area. Decisions need to be based on the crowd, area, and situation. If people are not cooperating or are creating unnecessary disputes, the police should be allowed to manage the situation. The conflict escalated because a NMP member grabbed someone by the collar. The squad has no right to use force. They must exercise restraint."