The official later approached the Sant Tukaramnagar police station, where a non-cognisable offence was registered against Popat Hazare, vice-president of the BJP’s Pimpri Chinchwad unit. Police said the incident occurred around 1.30pm on Friday.BJP mayor Ravi Landge and deputy mayor Sharmila Babar assumed office around noon on Friday after being elected unopposed during the civic body’s first general body meeting. BJP returned to power in PCMC after four years of administrative rule.Police booked Hazare under sections related to obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty, criminal intimidation, and intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace.A senior PCMC official told TOI, “The BJP office-bearer had been pressuring officials for the past few days through calls and messages, demanding changes to tender conditions to ensure his firm secured the contract.”According to the complaint, Hazare entered the officer’s cabin on Friday, shouted at officials, demanded that the contract be awarded to his firm, and issued threats if his demands were not met.The civic body had floated tenders to set up a rehabilitation centre under the Centre’s SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme. Once implemented, PCMC would become only the second municipal body in the state, after Nagpur, to roll out the scheme. While PCMC already operates a shelter home for such individuals, the proposed centre would serve as an additional facility.Responding to the allegations, Hazare said his firm had applied for the tender on all three occasions it was issued and was eligible for the project. “On Friday, when I went to enquire about the tender, I was informed that it was awarded to a firm from another city. The officer told me to speak to someone else from the department for clarification and leave the cabin, following which an altercation broke out,” Hazare told TOI.Hazare added that his firm has been involved in rehabilitating beggars and homeless persons in Dehu for the past few years and that he wished to extend the work to Pimpri Chinchwad. He said the civic body issued the tender three times for the project, which is valued at Rs 30 lakh.
