Mumbaikar assaulted by MNS workers for abusing Raj Thackeray

Raj Thackeray: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief declared on March 17 that his party would not be fielding candidates for the general election. Although the party does not have any MP in the Lok Sabha, Thackeray does wield influence in certain parts of the state. (Image: Reuters)

Mumbaikar Vijay Vare was recently assaulted by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers for allegedly insulting party chief Raj Thackeray. The incident took place on April 7 but came to light only after a video clip of the assault went viral on social media.

Surprisingly, no case was registered against the party workers. On the contrary, the victim was booked over defamation charges.

It all began on April 6, when a Raj Thackeray supporter shared pictures of his Gudi Padwa (Marathi new year) rally on Facebook. Vare allegedly commented with expletives on one of the pictures.

The following day, a gang of the party cadre landed at his Ghatkopar house and beat him up. The MNS workers kept throwing punches at him despite his family members begging for mercy. Vare was allegedly made to do sit-ups and seek an apology as well.

"I made a few comments against Raj Thackeray on social media. Hence, I am apologising to all MNS workers and the whole of Maharashtra," Vare can be heard saying in the viral video.

However, the MNS workers were not satisfied with it. They dragged him to Pantnagar Police Station, where a defamation case under Section 500 of the IPC was registered against Vare, Mumbai Mirror reported.

When a senior police officer was asked why the party workers were not booked for assault, he said no one registered a complaint in that regard.

Commenting on the incident, MNS spokesperson Sandip Deshpande said they acted on Thackeray's behest.

WATCH: @mnsadhikrut workers beat up Ghatkopar resident, @MumbaiPolice arrest victim instead of his assaulters. pic.twitter.com/cfSh0KHgj7

— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) April 10, 2019

"Merely passing comments on Saheb (Raj Thackeray) will not earn a beating; we will assault those who make abusive comments. Saheb has given us clear directions: you can oppose us but not by abusing. We will teach a lesson to all who use abusive words against Saheb," he added.