7 arrested after clash at police station in Jalgaon

Nashik: Two political groups clashed at the Shanipeth police station in Jalgaon on Saturday evening following a dispute over a Jalgaon Municipal Corporation tender.The Shanipeth police have arrested seven individuals from both sides and registered a case of rioting and deterring public servants from performing duty under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Three people also got injured during the incident at the police station. Speaking to the reporters in Jalgaon, SP Maheswar Reddy said, "The Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) had floated a tender for some work. A fight broke out in the afternoon between Kalpesh Sonawane and Rahul Thakre's supporters over the filing of this tender. Later that evening, Kalpesh's father and former BJP corporator Kailas Sonawane and Thakre's supporters were brought to the Shanipeth police station, They were registering complaints against one another in separate rooms."He added, "Thakre, who was not present during the afternoon clash, arrived with more supporters and began assaulting Kailas, accusing him of abusing his sister. This sparked a second clash. Police eventually controlled the situation. Three people were, however, injured in the clash."In addition to the FIRs filed by the two parties against each other, the Shanipeth police have registered a separate FIR against members of both the groups.Immediately after the incident, a heavy police bandobast was deployed at the police station. Those injured in the clash include Kailas Sonawane, his nephew Sagar Sonawane, and Hitesh Thakre.Rahul Thakre and Kailas Sonawane were at loggerheads ever since the Jalgaon municipal corporation elections. Thakre's wife contesting the election as an independent had lost the election against Kailas's daughter by a slender margin.