Vijay Vare

Raj Thackeray

MNS workers

Watch: MNS workers force man to apologise for comments against Raj Thackeray on Facebook 01:36

Facebook

Gudi Padwa rally

posted allegedly objectionable comment against. Police say they haven’t got any complaint againstMNS workers barged into the residence of a Ghatkopar resident and thrashed him over alleged objectionable online comments against the party president Raj Thackeray, but the police booked the victim for defamation, instead of his assaulters.On April 6, one of Thackeray’s supporters posted onphotographs and posts of hisheld earlier. On one of those photographs, Vijay Vare, posted an allegedly abusive comment.The following day, a mob of MNS workers barged into his house in Ghatkopar East and abused and thrashed him in front of his pleading family.Vare kept trying to reason with the MNS workers, but they kept raining blows and even made him perform sit-ups as an apology on camera. “I made a few comments against Raj Thackeray on social media and I am hence apologising to all MNS workers and the whole of Maharashtra,” Vare could be heard saying in a clip while performing the sit-ups.But the bloodthirsty mob wasn’t through. It took Vare to Pantnagar police station, where a non-cognisable offence under Section of 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him. Vare was then released, but no action was initiated against the MNS workers.Defending the failure to book the assaulters, the police said since there was no complaint made out against the MNS workers, no action was taken against them. “We did not receive any complaint from anyone. We were only aware of the claim that Vare had made some objectionable comments on Facebook, for which he had apologised. Now that videos of the assault have gone viral, we will look into them,” said a senior Pantnagar police officer.A defiant Sandip Deshpande, MNS spokesperson, defended the barefaced bullying. “Merely passing comments on Saheb (Raj Thackeray) will not earn a beating; we will assault those who make abusive comments. Saheb has given us clear directions: you can oppose us but not by abusing. We will teach a lesson to all who use abusive words against Saheb.”The Facebook profile of Vare was deactivated since Monday night.