PIL wants action against NCP leader over remarks against

community Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) A PIL was today filed in the BombayHigh Court seeking criminal action against NCP leader MadhukarPichad for allegedly instigating party workers to assaultmembers of ‘Yaswant Sena’ who had recently protested againsthis remarks against Dhangar (shepherd) community. Yashwant Sena is a social organisation which claims tofight for economic, social, and political rights of Dhangarcommunity. The public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activistHemant Patil, is slated to come up for hearing next week, highcourt sources said. The petitioner submitted that he had taken out a morcha onAugust 1 in Mumbai demanding reservation for members ofDhangar community. However, Pichad reacted to the morcha, saying "if thegovernment allows reservation for Dhangar community, thenAdivasi community would turn naxalites or terrorists," thepetition said, noting that such utterances were anti-national,unconstitutional and amounted to criminal offence under IPC. In order to protest against Pichad’s remarks, members ofYashwant Sena had barged into the NCP office in Mumbai onAugust 12. However, members of NCP and Sena clashed and in themelee some of the Yashwant Sena members were assaulted, thePIL alleged. The PIL prayed for a direction to the state governmentand the Mumbai Police Chief to initiate criminal actionagainst Pichad and party workers for assaulting people whowere agitating against the ex-minister’s alleged remarks. PTISVS DKSC