Row as Maha Minister orders cops to 'break bones' of guests at his own birthday bash

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra), Jan. 4 (IANS) Maharashtra Minority Development Minister Abdul Sattar became the target of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after he was purportedly seen and heard ordering the police to “cane and break bones” of guests invited to his own birthday bash late on Wednesday 

A video of the incident showing the Minister raising his voice, raising his arms and asking the police "to beat them like dogs, so much that their buttock-bones are broken", drew flak from the MVA allies Congress and Shiv Sena-UBT. 

The minister, belonging to the ruling ally Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, shouts his orders on the mike, ostensibly after the crowds became wild and uncontrollable during a performance by the popular ‘Lavni’ dancer Gautami Patil plus her troupe to celebrate his birthday, which fell on January 1. 

Leader of Opposition in the Council, Ambadas Danve, of the Shiv Sena-UBT, slammed the Minister for his use of words like "demon", "dogs", "buttocks", etc before the crowds. 

"The kind of language that Sattar has used suits his culture… It is also accepted by the ruling allies Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party which are ruling the state," he said. 

Congress state chief spokesperson Atul Londhe asked whether Sattar "is a Minister or a goon", and "whether CM Shinde will show courage to take action" against his arrogant colleague. 

"The more shocking part is that Sattar orders the police to 'beat these people like dogs, break their backs, what’s the point of having a thousand cops when you can’t beat up these 50,000 people?'" 

The Minister’s ire came after the crowds went rapturous and then became berserk, resulting in chaos and confusion in the darkness. 

Initially, Sattar attempted to appeal for peace and calm, but when it failed to restore order, he virtually screamed out the orders to the police to use brutal force on the invitees of his own birthday bash. 

Terming Sattar "unfit to be a Minister", Londhe demanded of Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis whether the police are being used to provide security to the minister’s private parties. 

"Sattar has always been controversial… Earlier his name came up in the TET scam, the 37 acres cattle grazing land-scam, and his aide’s name cropped up in a fake raid case, he also abused Nationalist Congress Party-SP MP Supriya Sule. He has always displayed arrogance of power, but now the people of the state will teach him a lesson," he said. 

--IANS

qn/vd