Mumbai Police book BJP MLA Nitish Rane, brother

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane and his brother Nilesh Rane was named in an FIR registered by the Mumbai Police on Sunday for their alleged remarks against NCP leader Sharad Pawar, PTI reported.

The case, registered at the Azad Maidan police station based on a complaint by NCP worker Shrinivas alias Vyankatrao Suraj Chavan, has charged the duo with Indian Penal Code section, including 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 499 (defamation), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot).

Chavan had produced certain video clips before police in which the accused duo, sons of Union minister Narayan Rane, was spotted making the remarks. In Chavan's complaint, he said that while addressing media on Wednesday, Nitish Rane asked why Pawar has not yet accepted arrested state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik's resignation. Malik was arrested by Enforcement Directorate regarding a money laundering case.

Chavan said in his complaint that Rane said that Pawar might also be an aid to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Chavan said that MP Nilesh Rane also made a similar comment on Twitter.

Nitish Rane, however, told reporters on Sunday, "We will tell the police what we have to if an offence has been registered. What is wrong with what we said? We sided with Hindutva. We have not tried to instigate a riot. If it is a mistake to side with Hindutva, then we will commit that mistake 100 times."

Rane mentioned how Pawar had alleged that Malik is being linked to Dawood Ibrahim because he is a Muslim. "So, I just questioned later whether Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh was asked to resign because he is a Hindu? We just tried to reply to the issue Pawar saheb raised. Where is the question of instigating riots here?" he asked.

Later the BJP MLA said that he also firmly believed that there should not be any Hindu-Muslim riots in the country. But being a Hindutvavadi, he will not let Hindus face injustice, he added.