assault and intimidation

Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Sambhaji Bhide

Koregaon-Bhima violence case

The trekkers were tortured so badly that the video is accompanied by a Facebook warning about ‘violent or graphic content’

Maharashtra Archaeological Directorate

Malang-gad and Vikatgad forts

The Neral police have registered an offence against “eight to ten” vigilantes after the video of thewent viral.A group of men from Mumbai were stripped, heckled and assaulted by a gang of self-styled followers offor consuming alcohol at Peb fort (Vikatgad) near Karjat, where the youngsters had gathered to ring in the New Year.The 11 men, whose identities are being withheld, were stripped to their underwear, made to kneel before the volunteers of Shri Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, confess they were consuming alcohol and weed, and sing patriotic hymns. They were let off only after a night’s torture, during which no effort was made to involve the local police.The Neral police station registered an offence against the vigilantes after the video of the assault and intimidation went viral. Senior Inspector Avinash Patil said an FIR was registered on Thursday against “eight to ten” unknown persons for wrongful restraint.The right-wing Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan is headed by, 87, against whom an FIR in theis pending. The volunteers, who identify themselves as ‘Dhaarkaris’, had put out videos in the run-up to the New Year, warning that “hands and legs of revelers who consumed alcohol at any Shivaji fort will be chopped off.” Surprisingly, the police did not take note of such intimidation, punishable under Section 506 (II) of the Indian Penal Code.Speaking exclusively to Mumbai Mirror on Thursday, one of the victims, while admitting he and his friends were carrying alcohol in their bags, said they were accosted as soon as they entered the fort by a bunch of men sitting by a campfire.“They checked our bags and began screaming as soon as they found we were carrying booze. They then asked us to strip, filmed us with the bottles in our hands, and made us kneel and sing patriotic songs,” he said.The victim said while he and his friends were guilty of carrying booze into a prohibited area, the vigilantes had no right to treat them the way they did. “They detained us for the entire night and let us go only after we cooked breakfast for them in the morning,” he said.Atul Bhandwalkar Patil, who heads Shri Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan’s Kalyan branch and had put out the video warning people against consuming alcohol inside Shivaji’s forts, could not be contacted on Thursday despite repeated efforts by this newspaper. The Pratishthan’s state secretary Nitin Chougule, however, confirmed the incident, but said he had not yet spoken with his volunteers.Consuming alcohol in public places is prohibited under the Bombay Prohibition Act 1949’s section 140. The Vikatgad fort is neither controlled by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) nor the. Thus, only the district collector has supervising authority over it.Mayuresh Dhumal, one of Shri Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan’s volunteers at a fort in Mahul, where he said he spotted no “illegal activity”, confirmed that small teams were formed to “guard” Mahul,. “We had alre ady issued an advisory on social media platforms. We are Shivba’s devotees. We will not tolerate such behavior at our sacred forts,” he said.Asked why would they take law into their hands instead of involving the police, Dhumal said: “Police are busy during the new year’s eve and we would not let these people off without teaching them a lesson.”The eleven men were tortured so badly that the video is now accompanied by a Facebook warning about ‘violent or graphic content.’ One of the victims appears bloodied in the video. Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan’s volunteers are seen lining them up, ordering them to kneel, and focusing phone lights on them. The camera also focuses on liquor bottles in the victims’ hands, packets of snacks and a pack of what looks like weed.Some of the victims Mumbai Mirror spoke to said they had no idea that a few in the trekking group were carrying booze or weed. “This was the first time I joined this group,” said one.Except one, all the men who were harassed were non-Marathi speaking and could hardly understand the questions being asked by the vigilantes.The police have established contact with some of the vigilantes and their statements are likely to be recorded in the next couple of days.