The Mumbai police have sent a notice to Member of Parliament Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana after the couple said that they would recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray in Mumbai.
According to the reports, Maharashtra independent MLA Ravi Rana had announced that they would recite Hanuman Chalisa outside ‘Matoshree’, the private residence of Thackeray, on Saturday. The husband-wife duo had arrived in Mumbai on Friday morning.
However, Shiv Sena workers gathered at various locations in Mumbai, including Matoshree, threatening the Amaravati Lok Sabha MP and her husband against reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree. The party workers had also warned Ranas of teaching a lesson if they turned up at the spot.
The police had deployed heavy security outside Thackeray’s residence in the Kalanagar area to prevent any untoward incidents.
On Friday, a Mumbai Police team led by DCP Manjunath Singe visited the Rana residence and served them a notice from Kherwadi police station under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). As per the notice, the police have requested them not to disturb the peace and maintain the law and order situation.
The police said that the couple would be held responsible if the law-and-order situation was disturbed.
Earlier on Friday, Navneet Rana, an independent MP from Amaravati Lok Sabha, challenged Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to recite Hanuman Chalisa. She also slammed the Maharashtra Chief Minister for not visiting the temple on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanthi. She had also dared the Shiv Sena workers to try and stop them from chanting Hanuman Chalisa outside ‘Matoshree’.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leaders have claimed said that the couple was not “worthy” to take them on, and they would be taught a lesson if they dared to show up outside ‘Matoshree’.
Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said the recital of Hanuman Chalisa and Ram Navami celebration was a matter of faith and not a stunt.
“People like Rana are characters in the nautanki and stunt of the BJP. People don’t take this stunt seriously,” he told reporters. He described the Rana couple as ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, a reference to a Bollywood movie.