Post alleged local Sena leader Raju Walekar’s involvement in illegal construction.A family of four, one of whom is a police constable, were allegedly threatened, assaulted and illegally detained for “liking” a Facebook post that charged the Shiv Sena’s Ambernath Municipal Council Vice President, Raju Walekar, of involvement in an illegal construction enterprise.According to an application the family has filed with the Ambernath police, Walekar’s nephew Nikhil, a Sena corporator, summoned them to a marriage hall and, along with his uncle and ten party workers, thrashed them for maligning the politician’s reputation.The family, Meenakshi Dhulekar (42) who is posted at the Juvenile Aid Protection Unit, her son Rahul (23), his cousin Nayan Gige (22) and her mother Prajakta (40), all of whom live in Ambernath’s Mathorshree Nagar, have also alleged that the police threatened to book them if acomplaint was filed.According to Rahul, a third year Bachelor of Arts student, his cousin had “liked” a post by a man identified as Shivaji Kamble, whose Facebook feed, the young man said contained campaigns against corruption and the city’s infrastructural worries. One of these had to do with alleged infractions in Raju Walekar’s construction activities. “There was a post about his family carrying out illegal construction in Ambernath and I liked the post,” Rahul told Mumbai Mirror. “My cousin posted a comment about it and we forgot all about that Facebook account.”The young man said they were summoned by Nikhil on the evening of August 3. “He asked my cousin to bring me along to the Walekar bungalow. Our parents were also asked to come,” he said. “But we were wary of the Walekars’ reputation so we said we’d meet them but not at their home. A meeting was fixed for the next day, at a marriage hall that they own.” Rahul accompanied his mother, Nayan and Prajakta to the meeting. “As soon as we got there they began to abuse us and threatened us with violence,” he said. “We tried reasoning with them, but Nikhil, his uncle and ten others assaulted me and I fell to the ground. My mother and cousin tried to help me and they too were beaten up.”Rahul’s cousin Nayan told Mumbai Mirror that the Walekar’s threatened to “kill” them if they complained to the police. “They even tried to haul Rahul into a vehicle and take him away, saying they have kidnapped several people for raising their voice against the Walekars,” she said. “They finally let us go after my uncle pleaded for mercy.”Meenakshi, despite being a member of the police force, refused to register a complaint for two days.On August 6, Nayan messaged the Joint Commissioner of Police, VV Laxminarayan. “We then went to the police station but the cops said that they would book our children for the ‘like’s and comments made on Facebook,” said Meenakshi.She said Sena workers were present in large numbers at the police station. “They wanted to know if we were being forced to register a complaint,” she said.“I haven’t let my son leave from our house since that day. Our lives are in danger so we have requested police to help us.”The police have not registered an FIR but accepted the application and despatched a letter asking each of the four family members to make their case at the police station.When contacted, Raju Walekar told Mumbai Mirror: “The kids are known to us and reside in our locality. There was an issue between youngsters and we made them understand and have settled the matter. Nothing like an attack or assault happened and it is all a lie. You can ask the complainants about it. There was argument between two youngsters at our marriage hall and the issue was resolved by elders, no threat or assault has occurred.”ACP MA Bhakre, of the Ambernath police, said the application submitted “makes no sense”. “I had summoned the family to my office but they refused to complain. If they want file a case they can contact the police station,” he told Mumbai Mirror.The Shiv Sena isn’t new to persecuting people who speak their minds online. In a similar turn of events, two girls from Palghar, Shaheen Dhada (21) and Rinu Srinivasan (21), were arrested on a complaint by the Sena for posting and “liking” a message on Facebook decrying the shutting down of Mumbai following leader Bal Thackeray’s death.