Tension in Yavatmal after ex-MLA Dhote’s house vandalized

Yavatmal: Tension prevailed in Yavatmal city after the residence of former MLA Vijaya Dhote was vandalized allegedly by Bunty Jaiswal and Sumit Bajoria on Wednesday afternoon over a property dispute. In her police complaint, Dhote said she was issued threats to life.
Wife of former MP Jambuwantrao Dhote and daughter of former deputy chief minister Ramrao Adik, Vijaya was alone in the house when Jaiswal and Bajoria allegedly barged in with over 100 supporters.She said Jaiswal smashed the glass of the teapoy and had a pistol in his hand. “Bajoria came with youths, mostly hardcore criminals, in a truck and broke open the gate and tried to erect a mesh fence adjacent to the house. A bull-dozer was deployed to pull down a part of the compound wall built by us over 40 years ago,” she said.
She said that the plot where the house stands was gifted to Jambuwantrao Dhote by one Satyanarayan Agrawal. “I have the gift deed which was executed in 1985,” she said.
Her daughter Jwala and her supporters staged a rasta roko on Waghapur Road. Later, addressing a press conference, Jwala Dhote alleged that cops remained silent spectators when the incident occurred. She has demanded SIT probe into the “unaccountable wealth and prime land owned by Jaiswal and Bajoria”.
Shopkeepers in Netaji Chowk pulled down their shutters to protest the attack. Supporters of Dhotes staged a dharna in front of the city police station to demand immediate arrest of Jaiswal and Bajoria.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Vijaya Dhote’s another daughter Kranti Raut criticised the police for their “inaction”. “The city police have registered an FIR against Jaiswal and Bajoria under sections 354 (A), 452, 447, 143, 147, 427, 504 and 506 of IPC on a complaint lodged by Vijayatai. However no arrest has been made so far,” she said.
Kranti Raut has demanded for a probe into the “criminal activities of Bunty-Sumit duo, probe into the huge wealth owned by Bajoria, probe into the role of police, revenue officers and Bhoomi Abhikekh officers who were present on the spot”. “Though Bunty Jaiswal had a pistol with him, the police failed to invoke Arms Act. As a matter of fact, Bunty Jaiswal is on conditional bail. Yet, he is moving fearlessly in the city and involving himself in land grabbing,” she said.
Kasabai, a 90-year-old woman who claimed to be wife of ex-Army man Marotrao Thakle of Netaji Nagar, said that she had lodged a complaint with Wadgaon Road police station against Bajoria over a dispute for agricltural land along the ring road in Wadgaon area “but no action was taken”. Sruthi and Swatha Diwate said that their father Pravin Diwate was brutally murdered by a gang led by Jaiswal who was in jail before getting conditional bail.
Kranti said that they would give a befitting reply to Jaiswal and Bajoria for the unprovoked attack on her mother. She pointed out the then opposition leader Vike Patil on the floor of the Assembly had said that Jaiswals had a cache of weapons and enjoyed political patronage.
Bajoria, while addressing a press conference on Thursday, said that he had purchased the open plots besides Dhote’s residence from Century Empex Pvt Ltd which had bought it from Satyanarayan Agrawal in 1985. “I sought police protection before reaching the site to take possession of the plots,” said Bajoria, adding that in government records the plots are in his name.
SP Dilip Patil Bhujbal and police station officer Pradeep Siraskar could not be contacted. It is learnt, special IG of Amravati Chandrakishor Meena has reached the city to take stock of the situation.