Chembur firing: NCP workers let off the hook
Dina Patil had alleged that Malik's supporters had attempted to kill him using swords and choppers. Later, Patil and Malik seemed to have buried the hatchet after senior party leader Sunil Tatkare intervened in January.
In a major climb-down by the Deonar police, the attempt to murder charges and Arms Act sections that were earlier stated in the First Information Report (FIR) filed against members of the two factions of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Nawab Malik and Sanjay Dina Patil during a scuffle three months ago, have been dropped by the police at the time of filing the chargesheets in the case recently.A scuffle had broken out between NCP workers under Malik and Dina Patil at a party meeting in Chembur in November 2016. Initially, the police booked Patil and Malik and 18 others for attempted murder and rioting after Malik had alleged that Patil had fired his weapon at the venue.Dina Patil had alleged that Malik's supporters had attempted to kill him using swords and choppers. Later, Patil and Malik seemed to have buried the hatchet after senior party leader Sunil Tatkare intervened in January."We could not find any empty bullet shells at the spot; there were no eye-witnesses to the shooting, nor did anyone hear gunshots. Even Malik's bodyguard, in his statement, said no shots were fired. We dropped charges under sections of attempted murder and the Arms Act from both the cross cases filed by the supporters of Dina Patil and Malik," said Dattatray Shinde, Senior Police Inspector of Deonar Police Station.He said, however, the sections of causing grievous hurt and riot are mentioned in the charge sheet. Earlier, the police had arrested seven persons from both the factions allied with NCP, and later arrested four more persons in the case. All eleven persons arrested are currently out on bail after the attempted murder charge was dropped from the case.The police are now in the process of arresting other accused in the case, including Malik and Patil, and are filing a supplementary charge sheet. "For now, we have filed a chargesheet against seven persons earlier arrested in both the FIRs. A supplimenatry chargesheet will be filed against four more persons who were arrested later. We will also arrest nine others, including both leaders and will charge sheet them as well," Shinde said."We have sorted out our differences and the matter stands closed. But as the cases have been filed, we will have to follow court proceedings," Dina Patil said.