One of the videos shared online was that of Marathi actress Ketaki Chitale, who was put behind bars for around 40 days after she shared a post against NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
“This video is of Marathi actress Ketaki Chitale being released from jail. 22 FIRs were registered against her. Was arrested like a wanted criminal. Spent over 40 days in jail. And why? For sharing a poem on social media criticizing Sharad Pawar? Is Maharashtra ready for the same again? INDI alliance has the audacity to talk about democracy, FoE etc?” said one of the users.
This video is of Marathi actress Ketaki Chitale being released from jail
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) November 12, 2024
-22 FIRs were registered against her
-Was arrested like a wanted criminal
-Spent over 40 days in jail
And why?
For sharing a poem on social media criticizing Sharad Pawar
Is Maharashtra ready for the same… pic.twitter.com/w0hmzplcSh
While several users shared the post, some of them also slammed the then-MVA government for disrespecting Chitale’s free speech in the case. “They act all righteous about freedom and rights, but the moment someone calls them out, it’s a whole different story. Just shows how fragile their ego is. If they can’t handle criticism, they should never be in power,” one of the users added.
“Why no one is speaking for free speech in the Ketaki Chitale case? Why does any German shepherd not call it a dictatorship?” another user said.
Marathi Actress Ketaki Chitale was molested by NCP workers in police custody
The videothat is going viral dates back to June 2022, which shows Chitale getting released from the Thane jail. She was arrested on May 15th of that year for sharing a ‘derogatory’ post on Facebook against NCP chief Sharad Pawar. She was also allegedly molested by the NCP workers while she was in Police custody. Claiming that she did not speak about Sharad Pawar in the first place, she then slammed the MVA government for misusing its power against her.
“I did not speak about Sharad Pawar. I was unlawfully picked up from my house without any prior notice, or any statement. I was molested by the NCP workers during the police custody,” she said in an exclusive interview with Times Now.
#KetakiFreeSpeech
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 28, 2022
I was unlawfully picked up from my house without any prior notice, without any statement. I was molested during police custody by NCP workers: Ketaki Chitale, Actor@thenewshour AGENDA @PadmajaJoshi pic.twitter.com/JGklSFZUgg
Another video shared by the netizens was that of the Republic TV journalist Arnab Goswami who was attacked by two Congress workers during Uddhav Thackeray tenure as CM. “Not to forget the then MH govt’s witch hunt of Arnab Goswami,” one of the users shared indicating that the state should expect more such attacks in the coming times if the MVA comes to power.
Not to forget the then MH govt’s witch hunt of Arnab Goswami https://t.co/FIs8rWwmfO pic.twitter.com/05wGJd9Yw5
— ExtraSpiceAni (@ShrivastavAni) November 12, 2024
Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami attacked in 2020 by Mumbai Police
On the intervening night of 22nd and 23rd April 2020, after his regular edit call post the 10 pm debate, Arnab Goswami and his wife were driving back home when two bike-borne assailants attacked their car.
The assailants parked their bikes in front of Arnab Goswami’s car in order to get him to stop the car and then attacked him. Arnab Goswami and his wife escaped unhurt. However, the assailants, after attacking the car and trying to break the windows, also threw ink at the car. According to Republic TV, the goons confessed that they were from Congress and the attack took place only 500 meters away from Goswami’s residence.
#BREAKING | Arnab's message after being physically attacked by Congress goons #SoniaGoonsAttackArnab https://t.co/RZHKU3fdmK pic.twitter.com/SdAvoerhIH
— Republic (@republic) April 22, 2020
Further, in a targeted witch-hunt against Goswami, the Mumbai Police under the MVA rule reached his residence and physically manhandled him as they tried to detain him in a 2018 abetment to suicide case that was already closed. A team of Mumbai Police arrested Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami after they physically assaulted and dragged him by grabbing his hair. He was also dragged by his belt by Mumbai Police and beaten up on his spine causing him serious injuries.
Palghar Sadhu lynched in 2020
Apart from this, several brutal incidents, like the mob lynching of Hindu Sadhus in Palghar district, were reported during the rule of the MVA government. On 16th April 2020, two Sadhus associated with the Juna Akhara, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj, and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj, along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgadewere, were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu.
At Gadakchinchale village, a wild and frenzied crowd of more than 100 people attacked them. The villagers deemed them as thieves and started attacking them. The police claim that their team, which had rushed to the spot to rescue the 70-year-old man, also came under the attack of the violent mob. But later videos emerged which completely debunked the claim of the police, as it was seen that the sadhus were in the custody of the police, but the police personnel handed them over to the mob. The mob then proceeded to beat them to death in front of the policemen.
Later, it was also reported that the killing of the Sadhus may have been intentional and politically motivated. The involvement of Christian Missionary organizations, some local NCP leaders, and leftists was also suspected. However, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray categorically downplayed the incident and claimed that the state has never seen any kind of mob lynching incident. In an interview with the Lallantop, Thackrey claimed that the state had never seen any kind of mob lynching case.
Have you ever heard of mob lynching in Maharashtra?
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) November 9, 2024
There has never been any mob lynching in our state
– Genius! Aditya Thackeray pic.twitter.com/vEh85169Q7
He was then criticized by BJP’s Amit Malaviya who posted a video on X appealing people to vote wisely. “Aditya Thackeray can’t seem to remember Palghar lynchings, perhaps because those lynched were saffron-clad sadhus and grandson of Balasaheb Thackeray despises everything Hindu… Maharashtra will never forgive the Maha Vinaash Agadhi,” he said.
Aditya Thackeray can’t seem to remember Palghar lynchings, perhaps because those lynched were saffron clad sadhus and grandson of Balasaheb Thackeray despises everything Hindu…
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 9, 2024
Maharashtra will never forgive the Maha Vinaash Agadhi. pic.twitter.com/lsPX5tbfpz
COVID mismanagement under the MVA rule
Massive mismanagement was reported in Maharashtra during the active spread of Coronavirus. The number of recoveries was allegedly misreported by the state to show that the methods being adopted by the state to prevent the spread of the virus were working well.
Further, the coronavirus patients being treated at Mumbai’s Sion Hospital emergency ward were allegedly sharing beds, with two people being allocated to a bed. A rise in the shortage of beds was reported. The patients, many with coronavirus symptoms were also sharing a single oxygen tank. The videos of the patients lying almost on top of each other, sleeping on shared stretchers, or just lying on the floor had also gone viral years back.
Amidst allegations of mismanagement, a marketing campaign was however launched to show how CM Uddhav Thackeray was the best Chief Minister and was handling the pandemic rather effectively. While the suspicions about the PR campaign for Uddhav Thackeray were just about gaining wind, a tweet by actress and model Urvashi Rautela had given fuel to those speculations. Refuting allegations of plagiarism, she said that it was the “same tweet” that was “provided” to “her and Siddharth Malhotra” by the Mumbai Police and hence, “nobody copied anyone”.
‘Modi ji is country’s PM, not BJP’s PM, why is he not campaigning for MVA’: Uddhav Thackeray
Ahead of the Maharashtra elections, Uddhav Thackeray went on a bizarre rant against Prime Minister Modi during a political rally in the Wani district. Thackeray contended that the Prime Minister is the country’s leader and not the BJP’s leader alone and he should have come for political campaigning for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the alliance that is fighting BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance for the upcoming Maharashtra polls.
“Modi ji is the Prime Minister of India, not the PM of BJP. If he has taken the oath of treating all citizens equally, why is he not here campaigning for the Maha Vikas Aghadi? Are we not Indians?” Thackeray said.
"Modiji is Prime Minister of India, not PM of BJP. If he has taken an oath to treat all as equal, why is he not campaigning for MVA? Are we not Indians?"
— पाकीट तज्ञ (@paakittadnya) November 11, 2024
– Logic committed suicide after listening to Uddhav Thackeray.pic.twitter.com/El5AqVO4Ag
Thackeray’s confounding attack against the Prime Minister has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum and has led many to infer that the MVA is indeed lagging in polls as one of its senior leaders attempted to gaslight the public by training guns on PM Modi.
Uddhav Thackeray had earlier slammed the Election Commission officials for checking his bags at the Wani helipad in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. He released a video in which he could be seen identifying the government identities of the officials and expressing anger over checking his bags. He alleged that the ECI officials had been checking only the bags of the opposition party members and not that of the Mahayuti alliance members.
“Why are only our bags checked? Have you checked Modi’s, Amit Shah’s, Devendra Fadnavis, or Eknath Shinde’s bags?” he asked. To this, the ECI officials stated that the said leaders had not come to the district yet for campaigning. The officials also assured them that their bags would also be checked if they came here.
The 288 legislative assembly seats in Maharashtra will go to the polls in a single phase on November 20th while the counting of votes will take place on November 23rd.
