On Saturday, Mumbai Police arrested four men who were protesting outside the house of activist Saket Gokhale in Mira Road. The four men have been accused of abusing and threatening Gokhale and his mother.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the four accused have been identified and are namely Roshan Ghare (28), Harshal Davane (28), Ranveer Bajpayee (33), and Vishal Patil (35). The four accused have been booked under the charges of unlawful assembly. They were released on bail on the same day. As per the cops, the four men also chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and hurled abuses and threats at Gokhale.
Saket Gokhale tweeted a video of the incident that took place last week. The video shows that a group of men standing outside his residence and hurling abuses and threatening him for opposing the groundbreaking ceremony that is supposed to take place in Ayodhya on the 5th of August. In the tweet, he also sought the assistance of the police and the state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. The home minister reacted to his tweet and wrote,
“We are taking very serious cognizance of this and have immediately ordered an inquiry into this issue. We will immediately provide you protection. Thane police have been instructed accordingly.”
Allahabad High Court Dismisses Gokhale’s Plea
Gokhale had filed a plea in the Allahabad High Court to stop the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for the Ram temple as it would breach the central government’s anti-COVID-19 protocol. The Allahabad high court dismissed his plea. The Bhoomi Pujan ceremony is supposed to happen on the 5th of August which will be attended by 200 influential people including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Senior BJP leader LK Advani who spearheaded the temple campaign is also likely to be present for the ceremony.
Source: Free Press Journal