Cops beef up security at residences, offices of rebel MLAs

Nagpur: The aggressive Shiv Sainiks seem to have now come almost into the line of clash with police department over targeting the MLAs supporting rebel Eknath Shinde.
City police chief Amitesh Kumar urged the NMC to undertake a drive to remove any provocative political banner, posters, or hoardings to ensure there was no protest or violence over it.
Kumar also said the political offices and the residences of key leaders have been placed under vigilance.“We are having dialogues with some political leaders and factions to ensure they do not resort to violence. A close watch is kept on every political development in the city," said the top cop.
According to a senior police official, security was already deployed to protect the families, properties and premises of the rebel MLAs much before the Supreme Court asked the state to ensure they were protected in response to Shinde's petition.
"From the day they had left to join the rebel camp, security was deployed for three independent MLAs from eastern Vidarbha, Ashish Jaiswal from Ramtek, Narendra Bhondekar from Bhandara and Kishore Jorgewar of Chandrapur," said a senior official.
While the Sainiks tried to breach the police defense at least at two places in Vidarbha, the khaki department is leaving no stones unturned to stop the agitators from targeting the families, properties and premises of the rebel MLAs.
In Gondia, the Sainiks managed to almost reach the gate of the office of independent MLA Vinod Agrawal and ransack the place. They were thwarted by the cops already present at the site. The Gondia police later registered an offence against the agitators. Sources stated the MLA is in Mumbai now.
DIG, Naxal range, Sandip Patil said the agitators would have inflicted a bigger loss had the cops on duty not confronted them outside Agrawal's office and house. “We are in the process of arresting the culprits,” said Patil. “An entire section of riot control police under an officer has been deployed outside Agrawal’s office now,” said Patil.
Ramtek police of Nagpur rural, which deployed security at the residence-cum-office of MLA Ashish Jaiswal, made sure the agitation of ex-Sena MP Prakash Jadhav's agitation remained restricted at Gandhi chowk. “The agitators were picked up from the spot of their protest. They could not reach the residence-cum-office of the MLA where another security ring is deployed,” said senior inspector Pramod Makkeshwar of Ramtek police station.
In Yavatmal, cops thwarted attempts of agitators to reach the residence of Sena rebel MLA Sanjay Rathod after they burnt his effigies.