Maharashtra: Thackeray and Shinde camps accuse each other of assaulting and molesting their women workers

Workers of the Thackeray faction

The Shiv Sena factions of Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde clashed during Chhath Puja in Dahisar on Monday, with each accusing the other of molesting their women party workers. Both the factions had set up their own welcome gates at the Chhath Puja site in Dahisar, and accused each other of forcibly entering their side of the event when devotees were leaving.

"Ten to twelve workers of the Thackeray's Shiv Sena group entered our event and attacked us with bamboo sticks and rods. They even attacked the women police personnel on bandobast duty when they tried to stop them," said Ram Yadav, the ward president of the Shinde faction. Yadav alleged that Thackeray group's workers even abused and molested the women workers of Shinde Sena. He held Abhishek Ghosalkar of the Thackeray faction responsible for the attack. "We have filed a complaint at the MHB police station," he added.

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Those of the Shinde group at the MHB police station

Ghosalkar, however, alleged that Shinde Sena workers abused and molested women workers from the Thackeray faction. "When our workers were busy greeting the devotees who were leaving, Ram Yadav and his workers forcibly entered our side. They then abused the women workers on the pretext of taking photos and molested them," he said.

"The victims are in shock. We have made a written complaint in this regard and asked the police to take action against the accused," said Ghosalkar, whose father is an MLA. An officer from MHB police station said, "We have filed an FIR against the activists of the Thackeray group under various IPC Sections, including that of molestation. The other [Thackeray] side also submitted a written complaint and the investigation is underway. No arrest has been made yet."