Former Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) corporator Rajashree Kale hit Right to Information (RTI) activist Paresh Gurav with her sandal at the civic body headquarters on Thursday. This came after an argument broke out between Kale and Gurav after the latter objected to a ₹2 crore tender floated by the PMC for the completion of the construction of the hostel for women belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) at Baner.
70 per cent of the work of the hostel has been completed, and for the completion of the remaining work, the PMC has floated a tender of ₹2 crore. However, Gurav objected to the tender and submitted a letter to the PMC building department in that regard. Meanwhile, Kale, who has been following up on the hostel work, visited the PMC headquarters to get a follow-up and was informed that Gurav had raised an objection.
Around the same time, Gurav visited the PMC headquarters, and then a heated exchange erupted between the two, with Kale hitting Gurav with her sandal. Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who were present at the spot intervened and managed to stop the brawl. According to Kale, Gurav used inappropriate language towards her, which led to the fight.
Meanwhile, RTI activist and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader took to X (formerly Twitter) and stated this was a "political rivalry". "Let's not misplace blame—this is a political rivalry centred around tenders and money, not RTI. A heated incident erupted at the @PMCPune when ex-BJP corporator Rajashree Kale struck @INCMaharashtra-affiliated volunteer with her sandal. The altercation stemmed from the volunteer's objection to a ₹2 crore hostel tender in Baner, a project Kale had actively supported. Tensions escalated into a physical confrontation, with Kale later claiming she reacted to the volunteer's language. The incident, witnessed by several political figures, has been clarified as purely political, with no connection to #RTI."
