Bhiwandi: Bhiwandi’s high-stakes municipal election campaign took a violent turn on Saturday evening when workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress clashed at Bhandari Chowk in Narpoli, triggering chaos, injuries and multiple criminal cases.
Clash Breaks Out in Politically Sensitive Ward No. 20
The clash took place in Ward No.20, one of the most politically sensitive pockets of the Bhiwandi–Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) polls where the campaign offices of BJP candidate Yashwant Taware and Congress candidate Jitendra Pal are located directly opposite each other.
According to police a Congress campaign rally was passing through the area around 7.30 pm when its supporters allegedly stopped near the BJP office and began raising provocative slogans. What began as a heated exchange of words quickly escalated into a full-blown street battle, with sticks, plastic chairs and stones being hurled from both sides.
The violence left four people injured, including Bharat Taware, Ankit Nishad, Rohit Verma and Nitish Jha, while panic gripped the busy market junction. Several shops downed their shutters as mobs chased each other across the road.
Heavy police deployment, lathi-charge
As the situation spiralled out of control, teams from Narpoli and Bhiwada police stations rushed to the spot. To disperse the hostile crowd and prevent further bloodshed, police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Shashikant Borate and Assistant Commissioner of Police Sachin Sangle personally visited the area and supervised the restoration of order. A heavy police bandobast has since been deployed to prevent any fresh flare-up.
Cross-complaints, 23 named accused
The aftermath of the clash saw both sides rushing to the police stations with allegations of attempted murder, rioting and criminal intimidation. At Narpoli Police Station, BJP candidate Yashwant Taware lodged a complaint against Congress candidate Jitendra Pal and 12 named persons — including Raj Yadav, Dharmendra Pal, Rahul Pal, Ashwini Verma alias Mallu, Gopi Verma, Lucky Jaiswal, Noor Ali (Chinese-wala), Lakhan Rathod, Rohit Yadav alias Lendi, Vicky Verma and Yash Patil — along with 30 to 35 unidentified persons.
Simultaneously, at Bhiwada Police Station, Congress candidate Jitendra Pal filed a counter-complaint against BJP candidate Yashwant Taware and 11 named persons, including Rupam Taware, Yogesh Taware, Ritesh Taware, Bharat Taware, Kiran Mane, Raja Indurkar, Vicky Billare, Rahul Jadhav, Jaswant Gupta and Nitesh Jadhav, besides four to five unknown persons.
In total, 23 people have been named in the two FIRs, while dozens of others are being investigated.
Political blame game
Following the incident, both parties traded sharp accusations.
BJP candidate Yashwant Taware alleged that despite police presence at the chowk and along the rally route, Congress workers deliberately indulged in stone-pelting to create fear and disrupt BJP’s campaign.
On the other hand, Harshali, daughter of senior Congress leader Vaishali Mhatre, accused BJP workers of launching an unprovoked attack on Congress supporters during the rally.
Model Code of Conduct violation
Adding another political twist to the episode, election officials have also initiated action against the Congress camp.
According to the Flying Squad, the Congress rally was taken out without prior permission, and the campaign office of candidate Jitendra Pal at Bhandari Chowk was also opened without official approval. Acting on the directions of Election Decision Officer (Zone 5), Flying Squad staffer Sandeep Chavan has filed a separate case at Bhiwada Police Station against Jitendra Pal for violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
A volatile battleground
Ward No. 20 has now emerged as one of the most volatile battlegrounds of the BNCMC elections, with both BJP and Congress locked in a fierce prestige fight. The Saturday night violence has raised serious concerns over election-time law and order in Bhiwandi, prompting the police to step up surveillance and preventive measures in the area.
With polling day drawing closer, authorities fear that any further provocation could again push the situation out of control unless strict enforcement of the law and election code is ensured.
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