Mumbai: Rana couple arrested over Hanuman Chalisa row; BJP alleges anarchy

The Mumbai Police on Saturday evening arrested MLA Ravi Rana and his wife, MP Navneet Rana, both Independent legislators from eastern Maharashtra, for allegedly "creating enmity between different groups" after escorting them out of their house in Khar.

The development comes after the MLA had said that he would visit Matoshree on Saturday and recite the Hanuman Chalisa there. But, as his announcement drew a strong reaction from Shiv Sena cadres, on Saturday morning, he announced that he and his wife were cancelling their plans to avoid a law and order situation ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Mumbai today. Meanwhile, BJP's legislators have said that the state was being pushed into anarchy by the government-sponsored violence against the Opposition.

Addressing a media conference on Saturday, the Opposition leader in the upper house Pravin Darekar recalled the instances of attacks on party property and leaders, including one allegedly by the Shiv Sena workers on BJP's Mohit Kamboj on Friday night near the CM's Kalanagar residence. MLA Ashish Shelar said that "the attackers of Pawar home and MP Navneet Rana's home are being treated differently".

Home minister Dilip Walse Patil said that the BJP has been trying to make an impression that the state's law and order has deteriorated. "They are trying to create a situation conducive for imposing the President's Rule in the state. Law and order is under control and the police will ensure that the PM's visit [for Lata Mangeshkar's Award Ceremony] will be incident-free," he said.