MUMBAI: The six men arrested for assaulting a retired Indian Navy officer on Friday were released on bail on Saturday (September 12, 2020).
All six defendants, including Shiv Sena’s leader Kamlesh Kadam, assaulted the retired Indian Navy officer over a WhatsApp message about Maharashtra’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The six defendants were reportedly arrested by Mumbai police overnight after an FIR was recorded in connection with the incident.
The former naval officer identified as Madan Sharma (65) suffered an eye injury in the assault. The entire incident was recorded on a closed-circuit television camera. The incident took place in the area of the Lokhandwala complex in the suburbs of Kandivali.
The Navy officers’ daughter, Sheela Sharma, in an interview with Zee News, expressed her sadness over the incident and said the defendants should be put on the books as they may revert to the same antics later. .
A case has been registered against the bullies under Section 325 of the IPC (causing serious harm) and the provisions related to the riots.
According to the police, the Seine workers allegedly beat the former naval officer for posting a cartoon on WhatsApp that mocked Maharashtra’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Sharma said he had received threatening calls about the message, after which between eight and ten people attacked him.
“Eight to ten people attacked and beat me today after receiving threatening calls for a message I had sent. I have worked for the nation all my life. A government like this should not exist,” Sharma told ANI. .
The incident has created a sensation across the country and people have expressed shock at the incident.
In reaction to the incident, the former chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, criticized the Thackeray government, calling it “Gunda Raj”.
“An extremely sad and shocking incident. A retired naval officer was beaten by thugs just because of a WhatsApp forwarding. Please stop this GundaRaj Hon Uddhav Thackeray ji. We demand strong action and punishment of these thugs,” Fadnavis tweeted, along with a photo of the officer.
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