Pune: A relative of an NCP candidate, who is contesting the Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls, has alleged that supporters of a BJP candidate abused and assaulted the family and issued death threats for entering the municipal election fray. The incident took place around 12.15am on Monday, when the accused allegedly barged into the house of the woman candidate’s sister-in-law, who lives on the ground floor of the same building. According to the complaint filed by the sister-in-law, the accused persons began abusing and assaulting the family members. “How dare you field a candidate against us? We will kill you,” one of the accused allegedly said, according to the complaint. Videos of the incident circulated on social media, showing one of the accused allegedly creating chaos. A case in this regard was registered at Pimpri police station for assault or using criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty, rioting, house trespassing, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, and other Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections. The police named seven accused in the case. Chiranjeev Dalalwad, sub inspector of Pimpri police station who is investigating the case, said, “We arrested one accused, who is visible creating chaos in the video, while notices were issued to another four.” A senior police officer, choosing anonymity, said that the NCP candidate lives on the first floor, while her sister-in-law, the complainant in the case, lives on the ground floor in the same building. The incident sparked sharp criticism ahead of the civic elections, as NCP, through its official social media handles, shared videos of the incident, stating that it was an example of crime committed with support by those in power for the last nine years in Pimpri Chinchwad. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also reacted in a post on X, saying the video of the incident displayed “an example of how BJP intimidates people even for contesting the election against their candidate”.
