Sharad Pawar Group’s Activist Held for Abusive, Threatening Video Against Fadnavis

Mumbai: Mumbai police have arrested a member of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) for posting a video on social media threatening deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and targeting him over his caste. The accused Yogesh Sawant is said to be the resident of Baramati and the social media head of the Sharad Pawar-led party.

The arrest stems from Sawant's alleged involvement in sharing a controversial video on his social media page, where he was seen threatening to kill Fadnavis. In the video, the accused allegedly abused the senior BJP leader and also said he will bury him six feet under and he can eliminate all Brahmins within three minutes.

Sawant was presented before the court and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days, the Mumbai Police said.

According to police, the FIR in this case was registered at the Santacruz police station based on a complaint by social worker Akshay Panvelkar (32). As per the complaint, the video was uploaded on Facebook by Yogesh Sawant.

An FIR was registered under IPC sections 500 (defamation), 505(3) (statements containing public mischief), 506(2) (threat), 34 (common intention) and 153-A (promoting enmity between groups).

The BJP also raised the issue in the Vidhan Sabha during the ongoing budget session of the State Legislature. BJP MLA Ram Kadam alleged that Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew Rohit Pawar had called up the police and demanded Sawant’s release.

Rohit Pawar also admitted that Sawant is his party’s activist and he had “merely forwarded” the video.