Nirupam held after Congress,BJP clash

Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam and party candidate Bharat Parekh were arrested and later released on bail under charges of unlawful assembly and rioting in suburban Kandivali.

The Kandivali police on Wednesday arrested Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam,party candidate Bharat Parekh and two others following a clash between activists of their party and the BJP the previous nightat Laljipada,Kandivili,over allegations of distribution of cash and liquor.

They were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and rioting but were later released on bail. The police have also registered a case of rioting against some unidentified persons for vandalising two cars belonging to Nirupams entourage.

Senior police inspector Surendrakumar Jaiswal said,Nirupam and his followers had gone to the Abhilakh Nagar area in Laljipada late on Tuesday night to meet some people when rumours about Nirupam distributing cash and liquor started making rounds of the locality.

Activists of the BJP and the Shiv Sena,who gathered at the spot,got into a verbal argument with Nirupam and his followers,leading to a scuffle in which a few party vehicles were damaged. Nirupam was allegedly assaulted by the mob.

A team was rushed to the spot. By then,Nirupam and other Congress workers had left in a car. We searched the other vehicles to verify the allegations of distribution of cash and liquor but did not find anything,except for a half-consumed bottle of scotch, Jaiswal said.

On Wednesday morning,Nirupam along with Bharat Parekh,Ashish Yadav and Indramani Saroj surrendered at the Kandivali police station. Corporator Geeta Yadav was arrested in the evening. We are on the lookout of others who vandalised the vehicles in Nirupams entourage, Jaiswal said.

Speaking to the media at Kandivali police station,Geeta Yadav rubbished the allegations of distribution of money and liquor.