Hanuman Chalisa Row: 6 Shiv Sena Workers Arrested For Creating Ruckus Outside Navneet And Ravi Rana’s Home

Mumbai Police on Sunday said six Shiv Sena workers were arrested for allegedly creating ruckus outside MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana's residence in Mumbai over Hanuman Chalisa row.

Mumbai: At least six Shiv Sena workers were arrested on Sunday for allegedly creating ruckus outside MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana’s residence in Mumbai over Hanuman Chalisa row. In a statement, the Mumbai Police said the search was underway for more accused involved in the incident.

“Khar police arrested 6 Shiv Sena workers after Police registered a case yesterday (Saturday, April 23) against party workers who created ruckus outside the residence of Navneet and Ravi Rana. Search for other accused underway,” Mumbai Police said in the statement.

This comes a day after hundreds of Shiv Sena workers on Saturday staged protests outside the residence of MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana in Amravati in Maharashtra after they declared to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the residence of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. The Hanuman Chalisa recital call by the politician couple led to strident protests by Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai.

The politician couple withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid a high drama on Saturday that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups. Shivsainiks squatted outside the ‘Ganga Savitri’ residence of the Ranas in the Shankar Nagar area in Amravati and raised slogans.

MP Navneet Rana, MP Ravi Rana sent to 14-day judicial remand

On Sunday, a Mumbai court slapped sedition charges against MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana while sending them to 14-day judicial remand till May 6. Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat said the court also declined urgent hearing to the Ranas’ bail application which will now come up only next Friday (April 29). The Ranas’ lawyer Rizwan Merchant termed the police case as ‘fake’ and said that certain charges were added later on under pressures. He termed all the charges against them as baseless since the couple had not flouted the laws as contended.  The couple’s lawyers are expected to file a fresh plea for bail before a regular court on Monday.

Mumbai Police on Saturday evening arrested MLA Ravi Rana and his wife, MP Navneet Rana for allegedly “creating enmity between different groups” after escorting them out of their house in suburban Khar amid high drama. The development came hours after the couple cancelled their plan to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai.

The Ranas were booked under IPC section 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), and section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police), an official of the Khar police station in western Mumbai said.

(With inputs from Agencies)