Mumbai: Two, held for threatening to kill Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, get bail

The Colaba police have arrested two accused for allegedly making threatening phone calls to Samajwadi Party Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Abu Asim Azmi earlier this month. The accused were arrested from Nashik and Pune over the last three days.

According to the Colaba police, the duo made the calls on July 3 to the contact number mentioned on Azmi’s visiting card. The phone is operated by his personal assistant Kamal Hussain, who received the calls and registered a complaint.

“The accused called the number and first asked to speak to Azmi. On being told that he was not available, they abused Azmi in filthy language and threatened to shoot him dead because of his opposition to renaming the districts of Aurangabad and Osmanabad,” said an officer with the Colaba police station.

The police then obtained the registration details and locations of both the numbers, based on which teams were sent to Nashik and Pune to arrest the accused. Bhausaheb Sonawane was nabbed by the police from Niphad in Nashik district, while Tanaji Yevate was arrested from the Haveli taluka in Pune on Wednesday. The accused have been charged with criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code.

Azmi, who represents Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Constituency and is the Maharashtra president of the Samajwadi Party, had objected to the renaming of Aurangabadad and Osmanabad as Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively.

Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Azmi said, "It does not matter what kind of threat anyone makes. Yet, I'm glad they are arrested. But this does not change my stand on the renaming fiasco. If you are changing the name upon development, that would still be fine."

He added that changing names solemnly to appease religious sentiments was wrong.

"When Aurangazeb and Sambhaji Maharaj were fighting, it was inclined politically and not religiously. However, what we are doing is based on religious elements, which is wrong," said Azmi.

The move was made hours before former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackery resigned from his post, and was also approved by the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party ministers during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s cabinet meeting.

Magistrate court grants bail to two men

A city magistrate court has granted bail to two men - Tanaji Yeole and Bhau Saheb Sonawane who were arrested for issuing death threats through a phone call to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi for opposing the renaming of the Aurangabad and Osmanabad. Appearing for the duo, their advocate Shriganesh Sawalkar had argued that they were innocent, had no criminal history and were not concerned in any way with the two cities to involve in such an act. The court has imposed conditions on them to be present regularly on court dates among other conditions . The two men had been produced before the court on Thursday and the police had sought their custody for probe. The court had granted a day’s custody till Friday, when they were produced before it again and the duo had filed for bail through their advocate.

Published on: Friday, July 08, 2022, 11:40 PM IST