Pune: Police on Thursday registered an FIR against NCP worker Ulhas Tupe and his supporters for attacking Shiv Sena office-bearer Deepak Kulal in Hadapsar. Tupe was with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and he was given a ticket to contest the Jan 15 Pune Municipal Corporation poll. But he returned the application form and switched to deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP just days before the election.
According to Sena office-bearers, the party converted some vehicle containers into makeshift offices to run its poll-related operations in some parts of the city. One such office in Hadapsar was allotted to Tupe when he was with Sena.Kulal, the complainant, told TOI: “Our party chief Eknath Shinde instructed all the units to take possession of the offices from the people who left Sena. Accordingly, I went to the mobile office in Hadapsar with two other party workers around 1.30 am on Thursday to shift it to Manjri.”“While we were trying to move the container in which the office was being operated, Tupe came to know about it and he, along with other men, came to the spot and attacked us. While my two party workers managed to escape, Tupe and his supporters targeted me. They assaulted me and hit on my head with a brick,” Kulal said.Senior police inspector Sanjay Mogale of the Hadapsar police station said an FIR under sections of voluntarily causing grievous hurt was registered based on Kulal’s complaint. “Tupe and others were mentioned in the FIR. Efforts are on to identify the other people,” Mogale said.Tupe could not be contacted for his comments despite repeated attempts.Senior Shiv Sena member and deputy chairperson of the legislative council, Neelam Gorhe, said she would speak to the Pune police commissioner about the incident.“This is quite a heinous attack on our party worker. Earlier too, our candidates were targeted and they pointed to certain people who were behind the attack. Had police acted at that time, the attack on Kulal could have been averted. By attacking our party workers, some people are trying to demoralise them. However, they will not be scared by such attacks. I will also speak to the Pune police commissioner to ensure that the attackers are not spared,” Gorhe said.During the campaign for the municipal corporation election, Pune city president of Shiv Sena, Pramod Bhangire, alleged that stones were pelted at his vehicle in Hadapsar.
