BADLAPUR: A dispute over pending bills turned ugly at the Kulgaon-Badlapur Municipal Council on Friday afternoon when a contractor and Shiv Sena shakha pramukh allegedly assaulted BJP councillor and planning committee chairman Sambhaji Shinde at the civic body’s entrance.A video purportedly showing the incident has gone viral on social media.The incident took place around 3.30 pm near the entrance of the municipal council building, in front of the security guards’ cabin. According to the video, Shinde and contractor Bharat Navgire were engaged in a discussion when Navgire allegedly grabbed Shinde’s hand and pushed him forcefully. Shinde fell down the steps and landed near the door of a parked car.NCP leader Avinash Deshmukh, who was standing near the car, immediately intervened and caught hold of Shinde, preventing him from suffering more serious injuries. Shinde and Deshmukh reportedly sustained minor injuries.Shinde said Navgire had approached him seeking help regarding his pending bills. “I told him that I have no role in processing his bills. The discussion initially began peacefully but suddenly turned into an altercation,” Shinde said.Shinde said he would lodge a police complaint against Navgire.Navgire, however, claimed that his bills had been withheld after corruption allegations were levelled against him. He alleged that the action was politically motivated, claiming that his sister-in-law had contested the civic election against Shinde as a Shiv Sena candidate and lost.Navgire further alleged that his bills were subsequently stopped on the basis of false corruption allegations.The incident, which occurred within the municipal council premises and directly outside the security guards’ cabin, has raised questions about the security arrangements at the civic body and the safety of elected representatives.
