Navneet Rana, an Amravati MP, and her husband, MLA Ravi Rana, were detained by Mumbai police from their home in exurban Khar on Saturday evening, hours after the couple had cancelled their plan to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree.’
According to the police, the Ranas were charged with violating IPC section 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintaining harmony) and section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police).
Devendra Fadnavis, a BJP leader in Maharashtra, claimed the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government’s handling of the situation was “extremely juvenile.”
According to the former chief minister, the state administration seeks to disguise its failings by labelling situations it can’t handle as BJP-sponsored.
“If allowed, the Rana couple would have gone there (Matoshree), recited Hanuman Chalisa and returned without creating any news. I don’t understand why so many people had gathered at several places as if they (Rana couple) were planning some attack. What kind of politics is this?” he said.
