Veterans meet with governor of Maharashtra following attack on former naval officer. (FILE)
Bombay:
A delegation of retired naval officers and sailors met with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Mumbai on Thursday and called for action against Shiv Sena workers who allegedly assaulted former naval man Madan Sharma.
The delegation called the attack on Mr. Sharma “despicable.
A group of Shiv Sena workers attacked Mr Sharma (62) on September 11 after posting a cartoon insulting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to a WhatsApp group.
Mr Sharma himself had met with the governor on September 15 about the attack, which took place in the suburb of Kandivli, and later said he was now with the BJP-RSS.
A statement, issued by Commander Vijay Vadhera (ret), president of the Navy Foundation (Mumbai branch), said the delegation demanded immediate and visible action against the attackers.
The Honorable Governor has been informed that failure to take immediate visible action will send a false signal to Indian citizens that the
Veterans of the Armed Forces are not getting the respect they deserve for making the supreme sacrifice for the safety of our nation and its citizens, ”the statement said.
Such attacks on veterans will affect not only their morale, but that of the defense personnel on duty, Vadhera said.
The governor granted the delegation a patient hearing and assured them he would take any action that might be necessary in the state to protect the honor, dignity and safety of the veterans, he said. .
Six workers from Shiv Sena were arrested in connection with the attack and obtained bail. They were re-arrested days later when new IPC sections were added against them, but again released on bail by a local court.
The Sena had said the attack on Mr Sharma could not be justified, but at the same time criticized him for the cartoon ridiculing the chief minister.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
