According to reports, the Maharashtra government is set to launch an investigation to identify “the elements” who reportedly persuaded independent MP Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s house.
On Sunday, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and state home minister Dilip Walse-Patil told reporters in Nashik that the police will examine the incident and find out who was behind these two politicians’ intentions. “We will call for call detail records of the MP and the MLA. They can’t make such a daring attempt unless someone is behind their actions…,” home minister Patil said.
Similarly, Pawar said, “When police said not to visit a place for safety reasons, we avoid it. Ranas didn’t follow the advice and hence action will follow.” The police action against Ranas was justified by both the deputy CM and the state home minister.
Navneet Rana, an independent MP, and her husband, Ravi Rana, an independent MLA, have made national news over the Maharashtra Hanuman Chalisa controversy. The couple challenged to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s ancestral home, ‘Matoshree,’ but their attempts were thwarted by Shiv Sena activists, who retaliated with violence.
Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana were arrested and taken to the Khar Police Station following the violence. On Sunday (April 24), they were produced in Bandra Court and were remanded to 14 days in judicial detention. Sedition charges were also added in the FIR against them.
Weighing into the incident, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut threatened Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana, the Amravati-based independent political couple. “Don’t even think of messing with Matoshree.” Raut threatened to bury them 20 feet beneath the ground during a press conference in Nagpur.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya was also attacked in front of the police when he went to meet Ranas at the Khar Police Station. Both Pawar and Walse-Patil denounced the attack on Kirit Somaiya but claimed the BJP leader’s visit to the Khar police station to meet the imprisoned couple was unjustified. “People in custody are only allowed to see their lawyers and families, according to the law. Somaiya should not have gone there to contribute to the conflagration” Patil said.
