The Khadakpada police have arrested two people in connection with the Ajmera Heights society in Kalyan’s Yogidham disputed, where neighbor Akhilesh Shukla, an account manager at MTDC, and his wife, along with eight to ten others, allegedly attacked Deshmukh's family, who intervened to solve the disputes among the neighbors over the incense stick smoke issues that were placed outside her door.
The Kalyan police have launched a manhunt for rest of the accused.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Darshan Borade and Sumit Jadhav, while Akhilesh Shukla, his wife, and others are still at large.
The incident took place at Ajmera Heights society in Kalyan's Yogidhan on Wednesdayat 8.30 PM.
The injured individuals are Dheeraj Deshmukh and Abhijit Deshmukh, who are brothers and live on the same floor of Ajmera Heights. Abhijit suffered head injuries in the assault and was sent to Sion hospital for further treatment.
Sources said that Abhijit is stable and has been shifted to a private hospital based in Kalyan. The video of the assault by Shukla and his accomplices has gone viral on social media.
The police said that Dheeraj Deshmukh and the neighbors of the society rushed to the police station to lodge a case against them. Thereafter, the police delayed to register a case against Shukla.
Police was giving special treatment to Shukla in the police station, said a resident of Ajmera Heights. Thereafter registered a case of assault against Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation manager Akhilesh Shukla, his wife, Geeta and 8 to 10 unidentified persons under sections of 118(2),74,115,351(3),189(2),189(3),189(5) of Bharitya Nayan Sanhita.
The Dheeraj stated in the complaint that Akhilesh Shukla and his wife Geeta used to quarrel with committee members after breaking the rules of the society and threatened to harass the committee members of the society. Deshmukh said they allegedly beat a female resident in the society five to six years ago.
The police said when Shukla’s wife, Geeta, performed lighting incense sticks outside her door. The smoke from these sticks reportedly drifted into the home of their neighbours, elderly woman Lata, Varsha and Vijay Kalvikatte, causing health issues breathing problems. The situation led to escalated arguments between Geeta and Lata and her family members.
The police, as mentioned in the FIR, stated that Shukla allegedly insulted Lata Kalvikatte. 'You Marathi people are dirty; you smell. You are fish eaters; you do not deserve to live in this building.'
Deshmukh stepped out of the home and told him not to insult all Marathis; your dispute with Lata should be with her only.
Thereafter, Shukla and his wife became agitated and started a heated argument with him. Following this, it is alleged that Shukla called some of his 8 to 10 acquaintances armed with sharp weapons and attacked the Deshmukh family severely. Abhijeet Deshmukh suffered severe injuries to his head, and Dheeraj sustained minor injuries.
Atul Zende, DCP of Kalyan, said, "Two FIRs have been lodged. We have arrested two accused individuals. We will arrest the rest of the accused soon. The residents of the concerned society approached us and provided a complaint. We will inquire thoroughly. ACP Kalyan Ghete will be investigating the case in which our police team delayed lodging a case. We will take strict action against those officers or policemen who are found guilty during the inquiry. We will add relevant sections of BNS during the investigation based on the information provided by the society's members. We will be reviewing the viral videos of the incident. We will investigate whether Shukla has a licensed revolver or not."
Akhilesh Shukla released a video. He provided clarification regarding the disputes that escalated in Ajmera society. He stated that Deshmukh and the Kalvikatte family members objected to me when I changed the location of the shoe rack.
Both of them allegedly harassed my family for the last year, claiming that they told me to change the location; otherwise, they would break the shoe rack.
Following this, they have harassed us by using filthy language. My wife placed an incense stick outside the door on Wednesday when Lata Kalvikatte came to my home and told my wife not to put it there henceforth because of breathing problems, otherwise, she would not allow us to stay here.
She started a heated argument with my wife. I tried to sort things out. Thereafter, the Deshmukh family stepped out of their home and began abusing my wife, and they allegedly knocked on the door forcefully and later assaulted my wife.
In the meantime, I am trying to resolve the matter, but they are abusing me too. My family has lived here for five generations.
The Marathi brother who came and saved us stated in the video that he is also Marathi, as he and his family have lived here for over 100 years.
I committed all these act for my defense during the scuffle. Non-Marathi issues have been created by them, which is a completely baseless fact. I released this video only to reveal the truth behind it.
Shukla, reportedly a controversial figure in the society, has been accused of troubling several Marathi residents.
In a previous incident, he allegedly assaulted a Marathi family, saying, “You Marathi people are dirty; you smell. You are fish eaters.” His neighbours also alleged that he misused his government job powers and threatened them by showing off his influence at the CMO. He installed a beacon on his personal car's dashboard, said his neighbours.
