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Updated: May 28, 2020 10:58 IST

Maharashtra MLA Nitesh Rane and his 16 supporters were on Thursday arrested for attacking a deputy engineer, days after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator assaulted an official with a cricket bat in Madhya Pradesh.

Rane, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, and his supporters, verbally abused and poured muddy water on the engineer of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) over the poor condition of the Mumbai-Goa highway. The engineer was also tied to a railing of the bridge with a rope.

Nitesh and his supporters were booked under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), and 342 (wrongful confinement and 120-b (criminal conspiracy).

Nitesh was on a visit of an under-construction site on the highway at Gadnadi, near Vagade Gaon, in his constituency, Kankavli, over complaints of waterlogging. The waterlogging was caused due to the construction work and the authority’s failure to construct a service road, Nitesh alleged.

Nitesh and his supporters accosted deputy engineer Prakash Shedekar, who was on a site visit, and held him responsible for the incomplete work.

WATCH | Cong MLA throws mud over engineer after inspecting potholes-ridden road

In the video of the incident that has gone viral, Nitesh abuses the engineer and asks him why the service road was not built. “How are villagers expected to travel on a road full of mud and potholes? Is your father going to construct the service road,” Nitesh is seen in the video as saying.

Narayan Rane condemned the episode and apologised to the deputy engineer.

“The elected representatives have every right to protest against the inefficiency of the government machinery in the interest of the common man. However, I do not approve of the agitation by Nitesh and his supporters as it is condemnable. I apologise to the officer, who was targeted,” said Narayan Rane, who is a BJP member of Rajya Sabha.

Nitesh is no longer active in the Congress and is working for Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh (MSP), a political outfit floated by his father.