Jitendra Awhad booked for molestation, resigns as MLA

Thane: Barely 48 hours after getting bail in a case pertaining to a ruckus at a Thane multiplex, former housing minister Jitendra Awhad has again landed in trouble. This time, the police have booked him on molestation charges for allegedly pushing a female Bharatiya Janata Party worker during chief minister Eknath Shinde’s visit to the city on Sunday.

In protest, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has resigned from his MLA post. “I would have accepted any section against me but 354 [of the Indian Penal Code] is not acceptable. I have never done such an act in my life. My daughter was questioned by her friend. Who did her dad molest?” he said.

The MLA’s lawyer moved a city court seeking anticipatory bail which asked the police not to take action until the hearing on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against the woman complainant under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly humiliating workers of the NCP’s women cell on October 26 over Chhath Puja arrangements.

The alleged incident of molestation occurred at the inauguration of a bridge near Mumbra on Sunday evening. A video shows Awhad moving a woman aside while making way through the crowd from Shinde’s car to reach his vehicle.

Late on Sunday night, the 40-year-old woman, a social worker from Mumbra, filed a complaint alleging that while Awhad was moving through the crowd, he pushed her touching her shoulders in an inappropriate way and said ‘why are you standing in the middle?’ The woman allegedly went to Mumbra police station soon after meeting the CM.

Officials of Mumbra police station confirmed that a case under section 354 (molestation) of the IPC had been registered against Awhad. The MLA’s lawyer moved a city court for anticipatory bail which asked the police not to take action until the hearing on Tuesday.

Awhad tweeted, “Police registered second false case against me in 72 hours and that too under 354. I will fight against this police brutality. I am deciding to resign from my MLA. The killing of democracy. cannot be seen with naked eyes [sic].”

Agitations erupted in Thane, Mumbra and a few other areas with NCP supporters burning tyres. Several shops were closed in Mumbra. Police personnel and special forces have been deployed outside Awhad’s home and Mumbra police station.

Ruta Awhad, wife of the NCP leader, joined the agitation in front of the police station. “If it is a crime to push aside a person blocking your way, then hundreds of molestations will be occurring every day in the market, on trains, and on railway bridges. If this charge turns out to be false, is there a provision in law to take action against the police? And if so, will legal action be taken? I want to tell the opposition leaders to fight like men and don’t use women cards. We will file a defamation suit in the case,” she said.

In her defence, the complainant said, “He [Awhad] held me and pushed me to the other side of the men and in my opinion, it was a crime. It was an inappropriate touch.”

The woman had on October 26 allegedly humiliated workers of the NCP’s women cell over installing a banner related to Chhath Puja and stopped them from entering Mumbra Devi temple. On Monday, one Shiva Jagtap shared a video of the incident with the police and filed a complaint.

“While we went to check the Chhath Puja arrangements at Mumbra Talao, the woman humiliated us by mentioning our caste and asked us to go away from the temple area,” Jagtap said.