Cop assault: Clean chit to 3 Maharashtra MLAs

Five Maharashtra MLAs had allegedly assaulted a police officer in the state Assembly premises.

Mumbai: Three of the five Maharashtra MLAs, who allegedly assaulted a police officer in the state Assembly premises, have been given a clean chit by a House committee, which has recommended revocation of their suspension and a departmental inquiry against the policeman.

The seven-member Ganpatrao Deshmukh panel has, however, held two other MLAs, who had to spend a few days in jail in connection with the unsavoury incident, guilty, but observed that injuries inflicted on Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Suryavanshi were "not serious". The panel suggested revoking the suspension of the three MLAs -- Rajan Salvi (Shiv Sena), Jaykumar Raval (BJP) and Pradeep Jaiswal (Independent) -- as it did not find any proof of their involvement in the March 19 assault on Suryavanshi. It recommended revocation of their suspension in the ongoing session itself, apparently as CCTV footages did not show them beating up the officer. Reading out the recommendations of the committee, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil said it found the conduct of Suryavanshi with Nalasopara MLA Kshitij Thakur on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link a day before, which triggered the ugly incident, as "objectionable". The panel, he said, has recommended a departmental inquiry against Suryavanshi, who has already been suspended. The committee found Thakur, Bahujan Vikas Agadhi MLA, and Ram Kadam (MNS), guilty of thrashing the officer but recommended rescinding their suspension in the monsoon session, apparently as criminal cases have been filed against them. "Criminal cases have also been filed against the two legislators. Their suspension be revoked in the first week of the monsoon session," the report said. PTI