An Aurangabad Municipal Corporation general body meeting witnessed a ruckus when a dozen-odd Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporators assaulted an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) member who opposed a condolence resolution on the deceased leader.
The veteran leader, who passed away on Thursday in Delhi’s AIIMS hospital at the age of 93, had been suffering from ailments for several years.
The AIMIM said the opposition to the resolution was not the stand of the party but demanded action against the corporators involved in the assault.
Shortly after the house convened, BJP corporators led by Rahul Vaidya moved a condolence resolution on Vajpayee`s death, which was opposed by AIMIM’s Sayed Mateen.
Livid at this, 10-12 BJP corporators, including some women members, pulled Mateen from his seat, slapped, punched and even one of them kicked him repeatedly, even when he fell on the floor.
The CCTV video of the incident went viral on the social media. The assault sparked angry reactions outside as alleged AIMIM supporters indulged in stone-pelting to damage local BJP leader Baburao Deshmukh`s car and injured his driver.
Several BJP corporators, including Vaidya and Pramod Rathod, urged the Mayor to suspend Mateen for his “anti-national move” to oppose the resolution. Mateen demanded that the Mayor take strict action against his attackers.
Mateen maintained that he was opposing the motion in a democratic manner, but the BJP members chose to respond by attacking him.
Legislator Imtiaz Jaleel of the AIMIM — which has 25 corporators in the AMC — met the city Police Commissioner and demanded a thorough probe into the assault.
“Mateen`s decision was in his personal capacity. It is not AIMIM`s official view, nor did he consult us. For this, I am recommending stringent disciplinary action against him,” said Jaleel.
