Two dead in Maharashtra post-poll violence

Two Bharatiya Janata Party activists were killed and several others injured in violence following the civic polls in Maharashtra, police said on Monday. Public property, including vehicles, was also damaged during the violence.

In Nagpur, a BJP activist Keshavanad Atre was killed after a candidate from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena attacked him with an iron rod on Saturday, police said.

“The family of the victim claims that a candidate from the MNS, Sanjay Barai, had threatened Atre not to campaign for BJP. After Barai came to know that Atre still supported the BJP, he came with a few accomplices and attacked him on Saturday night,” said an official from Nagpur’s Imamwada Police Station.

“We have arrested Barai and eight others in connection with the case and are investigating the matter,” he added.

In Mumbai, the body of a BJP leader was found from his office in Dharavi. “Vasantlal Jotha’s body was found by party workers after they opened the office this (Monday) morning,” an official from Dharavi Police Station said. “He seems to have undergone a struggle before his death. However, we will get a clear picture only after the post-mortem,” he added.

In Nashik, a defeated Shiv Sena candidate Nivrutti Datir and two others were on Monday arrested for attacking rebel party activist Dilip Datir, who had contested as an Independent, Nashik police said.

Dilip has been admitted to a hospital in critical condition.  “Both had contested the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) election but were defeated. Alleging that he would have won if Dilip had not contested, Nivrutti and his supporters had attacked Dilip with swords and metal rods Sunday night,” an official said.

In Pune, over 30 vehicles were vandalised by Independent candidate Aba Sutar and his supporters.

According to police, Sutar was a rebel from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
After official NCP candidate Rohini Chimate won the seat, he vandalised the vehicles of her supporters.

Several incidents of vandalism also took place at several places in Mumbai including Ghatkopar, Antop Hill, Dadar and Govandi in central Mumbai and Andheri in northwest Mumbai in the last two days.