Pune, November 30In the wake of a Belgaum resident posting derogatory content against Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Facebook, a group of Shiv Sena activists on Tuesday vandalised Hotel Vaishali on F C Road and also painted protest messages on buses of Karnataka state transport at Swargate bus terminus in Pune.
Recently, Thackeray had said Jnanpith committee should take back the award from Jnanapith award winner Dr Chandrashekara Kambar from Karnataka for his alleged “anti-Marathi” remarks. This sparked protests in Karnataka and activists of Kannada Rakshan Vedike defaced Thackeray’s image. Also, Belgaum resident Pravin Shetty posted derogatory content against Thackeray on Facebook. To condemn this, Shiv Sena activists had attacked hotels owned by Shettys in Kolhapur on Monday. In Pune, a group of Shiv Sena activists attacked Hotel Vaishali owned by Jagganath Shetty. Sainiks allegedly forced the customers out of the hotel, shouted at the hotel staff and then pelted stones which broke glass furniture and caused damage of about Rs 20,000.
After the hotel staff pulled down the shutter and informed the police, cops from Deccan Gymkhana police station reached the spot and nabbed five Sena activists. They were identified as Vilas Pandurang Sonawane, Ashok Vijay Kapre, Vinod Maruti Vithkar, Suryakant Shivray Aru and Vishwajit Vishwanath Pendhari, all from Shivajinagar. Police booked them under Sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 506 (2) of the IPC.
The complaint was lodged by hotel in-charge Shashindra Sundar Shetty (57). Police produced the Shiv Sainiks before judicial magistrate (first class) S S Bose who remanded them in police custody for a day.
Meanwhile, a group of Shiv Sainiks stopped Karnataka state transport buses at Swargate bus terminus on Tuesday afternoon and painted protest messages like Belgaon Maharashtrachach (Belgaon belongs to Maharashtra). However, no police complaint was lodged.
Shiv Sena’s city unit chief Nana Wadekar said, “We have asked party activists not to target any more hotels owned by Shettys in Pune as they have no connection with those who insulted our supremo in Belgaum.”
–Agencies