Maha: Man held for attack on Congress MLC Pradnya Satav

Police have arrested a 40-year-old man for allegedly attacking Congress MLC Pradnya Rajeev Satav in Maharashtra's Hingoli district, an official said on Thursday.

Satav claimed an unknown person attacked her from behind on Wednesday and that there was a threat to her life. The MLC also said this was the second attack on her since November last year and she expected more security to be provided to her.

A police official in Hingoli said they arrested a man, identified as Mahendra Dongardive, after the MLC filed a complaint.

When contacted, Hingoli Superintendent of Police G Shreedhar said, ''The man, who was inebriated, attacked MLC Pradnya Satav from behind in Kasbe Dhawanda.'' An offence has been registered against accused Dongardive at Balapur police station under Indian Penal Code Sections 352 (assault or use of criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), he said. Satav in a tweet on Wednesday said, ''Today I was brutally attacked at Kasbe Dhawanda, village Kalamnuri. An unknown person attacked me from behind. It was a serious attempt to injure me and there is a threat to my life.'' "An attack on lady MLC is an attack on Democracy. Fight from front don't be a coward," added the legislator, who is the wife of late Congress leader Rajeev Satav.

"I was also attacked during the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi. But, I could escape because people around me saved me," she told a regional news channel on Thursday.

The legislator said she would urge the state government to make necessary provisions and prevent such attacks on women in public life. ''I suspect the man who attacked me was sent by someone. The police told me there is no political plot behind such attack, but when the assailant come near my vehicle last night, he was asking 'who is the madam in the car'. It means he was particularly looking for me," the MLC said.

Satav said she sensed the man was looking for her, hence she immediately went back into the car and shut its door. ''I asked the driver to take my vehicle a little further and then got down to meet people who were waiting for me. However, the assailant followed me there and attacked from behind. Even my woman bodyguard's attention was not there as she was looking at people with whom I was interacting," the legislator said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)