The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has become the epitome of police high handedness. They come thrashing hard against all the detractors and protesters of any sort. Even non-political protesters are dealt with, like rioters and criminals.
The MVA Onslaught
The recent blanket arrests of 110 employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) shows the MVA government’s cruel way of tackling protests. The police had arrested all of them after some of the MSRTC employees allegedly threw stones and chappals at Sharad Pawar’s residence. The police have accused the MSRTC employees’ lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte as the main conspirator.
As per the police version presented in the court, Sadavarte’s statement instigated the MSRTC employees to barge into the residence of Sharad Pawar. The lawyer representing Sadavarte in the court refuted all such allegations and termed it as a way to strife his client’s voice. He said Sadavarte has been raising his voice against the state government’s misdeeds and hence had been implicated in a false case.
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Among the arrested, four persons namely Hanumant Waghmare, Krishnat Kore, Mohammed Tajuddin Shaikh, and Govind Masarankar, have also been accused of hatching a criminal conspiracy and instigating employees. The arrested MSRTC employees had been sent to judicial custody for fourteen days while their lawyer Sadavarte was sent to police custody for two days.
The Police Officials said that they had previously anticipated protests outside some ministers’ houses including Sharad Pawar and had deployed security outside Sharad Pawar’s Silver Oak residence but the protestors came in a crowd and rejected the police’s advisories. The State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil told the media that the probe is on and action will be taken against the persons involved.
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For the last five months, the MSRTC employees have been raising their voices. They had peacefully raised the demand for the merger of the corporation with the state government to get the benefits of the state government employee. But the demand of the protestors had not been answered by any of the officials. Now also their legitimate demands are being trampled by the authorities due to alleged rioting of a few MSRTC employees and a cruel step of mass arresting has been undertaken by the police.
Unwavering Support for the Farmers’ Protests
The farm protests had a fair share of controversies and undemocratic savagery but the NCP chief Sharad Pawar or anyone in the opposition never condemned any cruelty or rioting done by the elements within the farm protest. On the contrary, the anti-social activities were termed as propaganda of the union government to silence the farm protest and any slight hint of action or statement against the unruly elements were painted as Fascist actions of the government.
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Contrary to what they talked about and preached during the farmers’ protest, they have come crushing hard on a much lesser event. The generalised branding of MSRTC employees as rioters and criminals emphasises the fact that you have a broad sweeping right to protest, even unruly one, only against the Modi government. Any protest against the MVA government will invite the wrath of the state government and the protestors will languish in jails.
