NAVI MUMBAI: A Shiv Sena election campaign office in Nerul was allegedly vandalised and its workers assaulted on Friday evening, shortly after the results of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections were declared, prompting the Nerul police to register an FIR against 18 persons allegedly linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to the police, the incident took place between 6pm and 6.30pm at the Shiv Sena campaign office located at Shop No 04, Sagar Darshan building, Sector 18, Nerul West. The complaint states that BJP supporters celebrating their win in Ward 23 allegedly entered the premises unlawfully, raised provocative slogans, abused Shiv Sena leaders, damaged property and attacked party workers present inside.
The FIR was registered on the basis of a written complaint by Jeet Sanjay Mane, 27, a contractor and resident of Sector 16, Nerul. Mane, who is the nephew of Shiv Sena Shahar pramukh Vijay Mane, alleged that he was inside the office along with party office-bearers and relatives when a victory procession of BJP candidate Rupali Kismat Bhagat, who won from Ward 23, passed in front of the premises.
Mane alleged that several people from the mob forced their way into the Shiv Sena office and began shouting slogans against deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde. He claimed the group hurled abusive language and when objections were raised, the situation escalated into violence.
The complaint further alleged that the attackers damaged the glass frontage of the office, vandalised materials inside, and assaulted those who tried to intervene. Mane stated that he was struck with a steel flag pole during the altercation, while another accused allegedly hit him on the head with a metal bracelet, leaving him injured. He was later hospitalised.
The office driver, Rohit Pandey, was also allegedly assaulted when he attempted to protect Mane. The complaint adds that the accused damaged CCTV cameras installed in the office before fleeing the scene.
Nerul police said the FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Maharashtra Police Act, including charges related to unlawful assembly, assault and criminal intimidation.
“The accused acted with common intention and created fear in the area. Statements of witnesses are being recorded and CCTV footage from nearby locations is being examined to ascertain individual roles,” a police official said.
A video of the incident, which surfaced on social media later in the night, went viral. The footage purportedly shows a group of men entering the office, raising slogans and assaulting a person inside the premises, while broken glass panels are visible.
Ashwini Mane, who contested from Ward 23 on a Shiv Sena ticket, said the violence went beyond electoral rivalry. She alleged that the BJP workers in a large group stormed into the office and assaulted her cousin, forcing him to be hospitalised, while several of her family members were present during the attack.
Jeet Mane also claimed he was threatened during the assault. “They entered the office and assaulted me. They also threatened to attack my uncle Vijay Mane and told me they would kill me,” he alleged.
Mane has named more than 15 people in his complaint, including Ganesh Bhagat, Kismat Bhagat, Ravi Bhagat, Ashok Gandhal, Darshan Thakur, Shubham Kakade, Ajay Navle, Babu Harne, Sagar Mohite, Pravin Patil, Sarya Patra, Sudhir Bandre, Shubham More, Vikas Tikavne, Subhash Yadav, Darshan Bhagat, Sandesh Landa and Rohit Chavan, among others.