Six arrested in Mumbai for thrashing naval officer who shared cartoon on CM

Six people have been arrested for allegedly beating up a retired naval officer near his residential colony in Kandivalli East in Mumbai on Friday (September 12).

Masked men thrashed Madan Sharma (65) allegedly for forwarding a cartoon mocking Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. An FIR has been lodged in the incident.

BJP legislator in Maharashtra Atul Bhatkalkar has alleged Sharma was beaten up by ruling Shiv Sena workers.

The MLA shared a video on Friday showing six assailants forcing their way inside a residential colony, pulling Madan Sharma out by the collar. They are seen slapping him in the face several times.

Images posted online show Sharma with injuries to his face. Sharma in his complaint said he had forwarded the cartoon to his residential society’s WhatsApp group. He later received a call from one Kamlesh Kadam, who asked his name and address. In the afternoon, he was called outside the building and was attacked.

The footage being widely shared shows the former officer being thrashed by men, mostly wearing masks.

Sharma is seen walking to the main gate of his apartment building and after a few moments, running back inside with a group of men chasing him. They drag him by his shirt and are seen punching him.

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Several BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, posted a photo of an injured Madan Sharma.

“Extremely sad and shocking incident. Retired Naval Officer got beaten up by goons because of just a whatsApp forward. Please stop this GundaRaj Uddhav Thackeray ji. We demand strong action and punishment for these goons,” Fadnavis tweeted.

“The ruling Shiv Sena which showed its masculinity by demolishing the office of actor Kangana Ranaut has now beaten a retired navy officer and has injured his eye. The Chief Minister is running dictatorship from his house,” Atul Bhatkhalkar, BJP MLA from Mumbai’s Kandivali East constituency, tweeted in Hindi.

अभिनेत्री कंगना राणावत के कार्यालय की तोड़फोड़ करके अपनी मर्दानगी दिखाने वाले सत्ताधारी शिवसेना ने अब सत्ता के मद में एक बुजुर्ग भूतपूर्व नौसेना अधिकारी मदन शर्मा को मारपीट करते हुए उनकी आंख को जबरदस्त चोट पहुंचाई है। मुख्यमंत्री घरबैठे तानाशाही चला रहे है। pic.twitter.com/qF2NVcIN55

— Atul Bhatkhalkar (@BhatkhalkarA) September 11, 2020

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has also demanded strong action against the goons or else, he said he will stage a dharna outside the Kandivali East police station.

Actor Kangana Ranaut, who is currently locked in a battle with Shiv Sena, retweeted the video of the incident with the caption: ‘Shame’.

Shame … https://t.co/oYJpdyMAm0

— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 11, 2020