After the arrest of political couple Navneet and Ravi Rana, the Maharashtra chief minister broke his silence on the Hanuman Chalisa row
File image of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. ANI
Amid the ongoing Hanuman Chalisa row, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that if someone wishes to recite Hanuman Chalisa, they can do it at home. “But there is a way. Don’t do dadagiri. If you do that, Babasaheb has taught us how to break Dadagiri,” said Maharashtra chief minister.
The chief minister said that the problem was not reciting Hanuman Chalisa, it was the way.
Hanuman Chalisa row
According to a report by news agency ANI, on Saturday, a row started when Maharashtra MP Navneet Rana and her husband stated that the couple plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside ‘Matoshree’ (Maharashtra CM’s Mumbai Residence), after which a huge crowd gathered outside the residence of the political couple waving flags with an aim to prevent them from reaching the Chief Minister’s residence.
The Ranas withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sainiks that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups.
As per a report by news agency PTI, the Bombay High Court Monday dismissed a writ petition filed by lawmaker couple Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana, arrested under various charges in connection with the Hanuman Chalisa controversy, seeking that one of the two FIRs registered against them under section 353 of the IPC be quashed.
The court said the petitioners and all others occupying public positions must act more responsibly and show respect towards other public persons.
“As is often said, with great power comes great responsibility,” a bench of Justices P B Varale and S M Modak observed, adding they found no merit in the plea filed by the Rana couple.
The bench, however, said that if the police decide to arrest the Ranas or take any other coercive action against them based on the second FIR, it must give them notice of 72 hours, PTI said in a report.
The Khar police in Mumbai registered two FIRs (First Information Reports) against Independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana between April 23 and April 24, following their statement that they would recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence, ‘Matoshree’ in Bandra on 23 April.
Their announcement triggered angry protests by Shiv Sena workers who gathered outside the couple’s residence in Khar area on Saturday seeking their apology.
The first FIR against the Ranas was filed at Khar police station around 5.30 pm on 23 April on the charge of promoting enmity between different religions. The police subsequently added the charge of sedition to this FIR.
As per PTI, on 24 April, a second FIR was filed against the Ranas at around 2 am under section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the second FIR, when the Rana couple was arrested and asked to get in the police vehicle, they argued with the police and “some dhakka-bukki (jostling)” took place.
The Rana couple, currently in judicial custody, approached the high court on Monday morning seeking the quashing of the second FIR through advocate Rizwan Merchant.
Merchant told the HC that all the offences were part of the same event and that two separate FIRs had been registered by the police out of vendetta- so that if granted bail in the first FIR, the Ranas can be arrested in the second FIR.
With inputs from agencies
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