MUMBAI: The police have arrested Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader Nitin Deshmukh after he allegedly assaulted the secretary and other committee members of his housing society over a dispute related to the dismissal of an old watchman. The police added that they are trying to track down Deshmukh’s aide too.
According to the Powai police, the FIR against Dekhmukh was registered based on a complaint by Nilesh Mayekar, 53, the secretary of the housing society in Hiranandani Gardens, who works at a wealth management firm. Mayekar and Deshmukh live in the same building.
In 2023–2024, Deshmukh was also a member of the provisional committee of his housing society. However, the police said that after Dekhmukh allegedly threatened and harassed them, the other members of the committee resigned and the committee’s term ended within six to seven months.
On July 19, new elections were held, and Mayekar and 15 others won with a clear majority. Mayekar received around 130 votes, while Deshmukh got only 29. The police said that since then, Deshmukh held a grudge against the committee and continued verbally abusing its members, who approached the Powai police several times with complaints.
On November 27 a team of Hiranandani Builders visited the society for a recycling project. “Mayekar, committee members Sohan Shetty and Mallesh Pujari were discussing the matter near the society gate when Deshmukh came and asked them why they had dismissed the old watchman. When Mayekar told him to talk about it later, Deshmukh slapped him,” said a police officer.
As Mayekar and Shetty began heading to the police station, they saw Deshmukh on a call with someone. Soon, five to six people arrived at the spot and allegedly assaulted Mayekar. They also attacked Shetty and Pujari, and when another member of the committee, Irfan Dabbir, intervened, he too was assaulted. The accused allegedly threatened to frame them in a fake case if they approached the police.
The police have registered an offence under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 189 (unlawful assembly), 190 (joint liability of members of an unlawful assembly), 333 (house-trespass after preparing to cause hurt, assault, or wrongful restraint) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Deshmukh, who is considered close to NCP leader Jeetendra Awhad, was recently arrested in connection with a fight in the Vidhan Bhavan.