Five arrested in connection with man thrashed at Jitendra Awhad's bunglow

Five persons in connection with an alleged assault on a man at Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad's bungalow here over an objectionable social media post have been arrested by hane Police on Thursday.

According to the victim the incident happened on the night of April 5. The complainant said some police personnel came to his home and took him to the minister's bungalow.

Thane police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar confirmed that five persons had been arrested. They were produced before a court and sent in police custody till April 13, she said, without giving more details.

According to Anant Karmuse, a city-based civil engineer, some police personnel visited his house on Sunday night, telling him that he would have to go to police station, but instead took him to Awhad's bungalow. At the bungalow, he was beaten black and blue by some ten to fifteen men over a morphed picture of the minister he had shared on Facebook, he said, alleging that this happened in Awhad's presence.

Karmuse had earlier criticised Awhad on social media when the minister said that he won't follow prime minister Narendra Modi's appeal to light lamps on April 5. Awhad, an NCP leader also claimed on Thursday that for the last five years he was being trolled and was getting threats of murder on social media, some persons had recced his house, and his family was being targeted by trolls.