Sharad Pawar house attack: Mumbai Police ignored intel alerts

Cops outside Yellow Gate police station where the arrested protesters were taken. File Pic

Three days after the shocking attack by MSRTC employees on Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's home, it has come to light that the Mumbai Police had got an intelligence alert at least 4 days prior to the incident.

As per the intel inputs, a large number of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation employees, including many women, were expected to reach Mumbai for the verdict of the Bombay High Court on April 5 and join the agitators already protesting at Azad Maidan.

There was strong possibility of protests being carried out at Pawars' Silver Oak bungalow and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's official and private residences, 'Varsha' at Malabar Hill and 'Matoshree' in Bandra east, respectively.

The advance intel alerted of similar agitation plans at the Bombay High Court, Mantralaya, Sahyadri State Guest House, and the official and private residence of Transport Minister Anil Parab.

In view of these the inputs warned of a possible law and order situation in these areas, and recommended beefing up security at the entry points to Mumbai like Dahisar, Vashi, Mulund and also railway stations.

Soon after the April 8 attacks at Pawar's home, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil had announced a probe into the incident that spared a furore in political circles and embarrassed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress.

Parab on Sunday said that those employees who were part of the attacks would be dismissed from service.

Several NCP leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Bharatiya Janata Party Leaders of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and Pravin Darekar had slammed the attacks and blamed the Mumbai Police and its failure of intelligence to take timely preventive measures.

Pointing fingers at the BJP, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said it was not an agitation but a well-planned attack on the Pawar family while Housing Minister Dr Jitendra Awhad said that the sinister intention was to inflict bodily harm to the NCP supremo.

Around 110 persons including the MSRTC employees lawyer Gunratan Sadavarte were arrested in connection with the incident.

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