Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Jitendra Awhad on Monday said that he is badly hurt by the allegations of section 354 against him. Earlier, an FIR was registered against him on Sunday for allegedly molesting a BJP party worker.
The former Housing Minister got emotional during the media interaction in Thane. “I can accept all the cases under IPC sections 307 and 323 registered against me, but the case under section 354 (molestation) is hurting me. I never committed such a crime in my life. I don't know how did the police register 354 sections against me. The words used by the woman in the FIR are clearly heard in the video. I think it's a part of a conspiracy."
Mr Awhad further added, “I don't want to talk about the cases registered against me related to the film Har Har Mahadev, but it really hurts me when my daughter was asked by her friend, “is your father involved in a molestation case?”. If there was a conspiracy to murder me I would have accepted it, but charging 354 in the wrong way is really not acceptable. I was not born to be framed for 354 and 376. Aggression is not new in politics. But the low-level politics which is happening in Maharashtra is really wrong and it may destroy the respect gained over a period of time."
What is the case?
The complainant, BJP leader Rida Rashid, alleged that the NCP leader pushed her while making way for himself during the dispersal of a crowd after an event of the chief minister in Mumbra on Sunday evening.
As per the First Information Report (FIR) Awhad, the MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa seat in Thane, was arrested on Friday after he and his supporters stopped a show of "Har Har Mahadev" at a multiplex inside a mall in Thane city, alleging the film distorted the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Attempt to put NCP MLAs in trouble
Meanwhile, Patil, citing it as an attempt to entangle the NCP MLA, has expressed complete faith in legislation. Patil said, "I am sure Awhad will get justice. This is the attempt of the ruling parties to bring NCP MLAs into trouble as they may be an obstacle to them."
