Tension escalated in the Maharashtra legislature premises on Thursday after a physical altercation broke out between supporters of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Jitendra Awhad. Following the incident, the Marine Drive Police registered an FIR and detained two individuals — Nitin Deshmukh, a supporter of Awhad, and Sarjerao Takle, a supporter of Padalkar.
Both were taken into custody late Thursday night and subjected to medical examination. Police confirmed that cases were already registered against both individuals in the past.
The clash occurred inside the Vidhan Bhavan, leading to political uproar. As the matter drew public and political attention, police swiftly initiated legal action.
However, Deshmukh’s detention was strongly opposed by MLA Jitendra Awhad, who, along with his supporters, staged a dramatic protest in front of the police vehicle. Awhad insisted that Deshmukh should not be taken away and blocked the vehicle for nearly an hour.
In an attempt to outmaneuver the protestors, police transferred Deshmukh into another vehicle. As the commotion intensified, Awhad threw himself in front of the second vehicle and even crawled underneath, vowing not to let the police move. Eventually, police had to use force to remove Awhad from the spot, after which the vehicle drove off.
Reacting to the entire episode, Awhad took to social media and accused the administration of bias. “My worker Nitin Deshmukh was assaulted inside the Vidhan Bhavan. The attackers escaped, but the one who was beaten up is the one arrested. I have never seen such a spineless administration surrendering to those in power,” Awhad alleged.
The clash and the dramatic protest outside Vidhan Bhavan have added a new layer of tension to Maharashtra’s already heated political atmosphere.