Masked men try to kidnap Chandrapur Congress corporators from bus; case filed

A group of persons intercepted the bus, in which newly-elected corporators of the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation CMC were travelling, and allegedly attempted to kidnap those from the Congress near the Samriddhi Expressway in Wardha district adjoining Nagpur, police said However, timely arrival of party supporters and police intervention brought the situation under control, informed a senior Corporator who was traveling in the bus.

Police said they have booked half a dozen persons and arrested one of them after masked men allegedly attempted to kidnap Congress corporators from Chandrapur in Maharashtra from a bus when they were on their way to Nagpur on Thursday evening. A group of persons intercepted the bus, in which newly-elected corporators of the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC) were travelling, and allegedly attempted to kidnap those from the Congress near the Samriddhi Expressway in Wardha district adjoining Nagpur, police said However, timely arrival of party supporters and police intervention brought the situation under control, informed a senior Corporator who was traveling in the bus. According to party sources, the corporators loyal to Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar, numbering 17 to 18, were heading towards Nagpur, where their faction was to officially register at the Divisional Commissioner's office as per rules after civic polls. The bus was stopped near the Yelakeli toll plaza at 5.45 pm and some 20 unidentified persons with their faces covered, who came in 4 to 6 vehicles, intercepted the bus. They allegedly attempted to forcibly remove the Congress corporators from the bus, police said, quoting a complaint filed by party corporator Rajesh Adoor, who was also travelling. Meanwhile, some Congress activists arrived at the scene, leading to a scuffle and a tense standoff between the two groups. Upon receiving information, a team from the Sawangi police station arrived and brought the situation under control. One of the alleged kidnappers, Kanain Siddiqui, a resident of Nagpur, was caught by party workers and later arrested by police. He and five others, all identified, were booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on Adoor's complaint, according to police. Besides them, several other unidentified persons were also booked in connection with the incident. The incident occurred amidst the ongoing power struggle within the Congress, the single largest party in the new House, over the mayor's post following the January 15 CMC elections. Rival factions led by Wadettiwar and Congress MP Pratibha Dhanorkar are at loggerheads over the post. Elections for Chandrapur mayor and Deputy Mayor post are scheduled on February 10. In the 66-member CMC, the Congress has won 27 seats, less than the majority mark of 34, while the BJP bagged 23.

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