Three workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were arrested on Friday, 2 September, after one of them was purportedly seen pushing and slapping a woman in Mumbai, in a video that went viral on social media.
The three accused have been identified as MNS leaders Vinod Argile, Raju Argile, and Sandeep Lad, as per news agency ANI.
They have been charged under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, among other charges.
The woman had objected to the installation of a bamboo pole by the MNS party workers, led by Vinod Argile, in front of her medicine shop.
The party workers were installing bamboo poles for publicity boards in the Mumba Devi area, but the woman reportedly told them not to install one without her consent.
In the video, a few people are seen pulling Argile away but he continues slapping and pushing the woman. Following this, she falls on the street but the onlookers do not interfere.
'No Woman Should Have To Go Through This': Victim
The woman later said that she was not only physically assaulted but that the MNS men hurled abuses at her too.
"They wanted to install a banner outside my shop. I declined and told them to install it somewhere else, so they hit me," the victim said, adding that no woman should have to go through this.
She also said that she had filed a case in the matter and that the investigation was ongoing.
Earlier, a non-cognisable offence had been lodged in the Nagpada police station in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi called for the suspension of the accused from the MNS.
"It's totally unacceptable and shameful behaviour. It's not Maharashtra's culture. He (the accused) should publicly apologise to all the women of Maharashtra. I demand MNS chief Raj Thackeray to suspend him from all party posts," she was quoted as saying by ANI.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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