Ten men and women – all of them self-proclaimed ‘bhakts’ of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – were arrested on Friday for allegedly assaulting ands stripping trekkers from Pune and Mumbai at a fort in Lonavala on New Year’ Eve. Police is looking for the remaining three accused.
As a punishment for celebrating New Year’s Eve, the trekkers were stripped naked and made to chant ‘Jai Shivaji, Jai Bhavani’, holding saffron flags.
It was only when Pune-based fitness trainer Shalini Pallav Jhala registered a complaint against the perpetrators that the incident came to light.
How Did it All Start?
To ring in the new year, Shalini and her husband took a camping trip to Visapur Fort near Lonavala. They were joined by two of her husband’s colleagues, Nilesh Vaidya and Priyanka, along with their spouses. They reached the camping site on 31 December.
It was a group camp that included over 40 families. They were playing cricket at around 3:30 pm when they heard loud noises coming from a distance. They continued, ignoring the voices.
But in the evening while the families were enjoying a bonfire, six women clad in salwar kameez walked towards them with bamboo sticks in their hands. They reached them and started hurling abuses at the couples.
Hooliganism Based on Assumptions
Apparently, these women had assumed that the couples were unmarried, drunk and had taken drugs. When the victims told them that they are married, they asked for signs like mangalsutra. They even abused the women for not wearing bindis.
This was followed by the arrival of nine boys at the spot who forced the men to take off their clothes. They poured cold drinks on their head and forced them to chant slogans of Shivaji Maharaj.
According to Shalini, one of the men snatched her phone and rang her father-in-law. He told him that she was dancing before four men. One of the girls, Rasika, kicked her for creating nuisance in the area, added Shalini. Her right hand is now fractured.
The perpetrators also beat up a five-year-old child. Shalini added that the child is in shock after watching his parents being brutally beaten up.
One of the guests present on the venue informed the police, following which two constables arrived on the spot and rescued the victims.
Shalini also said that the local police station showed no interest in registering the complaint.
Ten Arrested
Later on Tuesday, Shalini approached SP Jay Jadhav of Lonavala Rural Police station and filed an official complaint. He assured her that due action would be taken against the officers who didn’t register the complaint.
On Friday, 10 men and women were arrested in the case on charges of molestation and assault and the cops are on the lookout for the remaining three.
The police have also filed a complaint against the organiser of the camp, Pratik Dasgupta, who did not have the requisite permissions to organise the camp under the Bombay Police Act.
We are looking for the other three. They are from a neighboring village.Police Official
Those arrested have been booked under sections 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
(With inputs from Mid-Day and Mumbai Mirror)
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