By Snehal Mutha
A day after Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane allegedly delivered hate speeches threatening a religious Police registered two FIRs against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane, son of former Union Minister Narayan Rane, on Monday over allegedly delivering hate speeches threatening a religious community in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar (officially Ahilya Nagar) district a day earlier.
The Kankavli MLA had attended gatherings of the Sakal Hindu Samaj Andolan on Sunday in Shrirampur and Tofkhana regions of Ahmednagar district. A video from one of the events, in which he can be heard allegedly making provocative statements against the Muslim community and warning them not to utter a single word against Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj – accused recently of making inflammatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad and Islam – went viral. “If you are concerned about your community, do not say a word about Maharaj,” Mr. Nitesh Rane is heard as saying in the video.
He has been booked under various charges in the two FIRs registered at Shrirampur and Tofkhana police stations, with the latter also naming the event organisers.
Sharing the video, AIMIM spokesperson Waris Pathan, in a post on X, requested Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to arrest the MLA. A delegation of Mumbai Congress leaders led by its president Varsha Gaikwad met Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and sought action against him and other BJP leaders for making provocative statements.
They alleged that the BJP wants to engineer riots ahead of the State Assembly election later this year. Mr. Narayan Rane, MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, said he has reprimanded his son and told him not to drag any religion in the matter. Read Comments 1PRINT
This story was originally published in thehindu.com.