The Bharatiya Janata Party has been the centre of controversies after it retained power for a second term. Balram Thawani, a BJP legislator from Naroda in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat, has entered the fray after a video went viral of him kicking a woman for demanding water supply.
In the video that has gone viral, the BJP MLA and his lackeys can be seen kicking and shouting at Nitu Tejwani, a ward-in-charge of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Thawani and his aides assaulted her in full public view.
Nitu and about 20 other women had gone to Thawani's office in Kubernagar area demanding water supply as the water supply line were to cut without any extension. They also threatened him of staging a protest outside his office which angered the legislator and made him take this extreme action.
According to reports, Thawani's brother Kishor had gone to supervise the disconnection of an allegedly illegal water connection near Maya Cinema last week, from where the dispute had started. It is alleged that Kishor had heckled a person who was shooting a video of his actions, reports TOI.
"I had gone there to seek two days' time from the MLA before the water supply line was cut," said Nitu. "But soon Thawani and his men resorted to force to evict us. We were slapped, some even came with hockey sticks. I felt humiliated," she said, adds the report.
However, Thawani apologised for his actions after the video went viral. He said that he was provoked to do so. "She's like my sister, I have apologized to her for what happened yesterday. We have cleared out the misunderstandings between us. I have promised to help her if she ever needs any help," he said, reports ANI.
Many people have spoken against Thawani's assault over the woman asking the law enforcement to arrest him for his actions. Social activist and politician Jignesh Mevani has also criticised Thawani's act and sought police action. Mevani tweeted from his official handle saying that Thawani should be arrested immediately.
