Sindhudurg police on Wednesday issued a notice to Union minister Narayan Rane to present his MLA son Nitesh Rane before them in connection with an attempt to murder case in which the latter and others have been named as accused. Narayan Rane was also asked to be present at Kankavli police station in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra at 3 pm to record his statement in connection with the case, but he did not appear at the given time, following which police pasted the notice at his residence there, police sources said.
According to the notice, issued under section 160 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the minister has been asked to share information related to the case with police after getting the notice. His son has been named in the FIR, which was registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) and he was not traceable after various attempts made by police, the notice mentioned.
In the notice to the Union minister, the police also referred to a statement made by him in a press conference on Tuesday where he had said that "was he a fool" to reveal the whereabouts of his son. Reports about the statement have been published in various newspapers and considering that, it seems the Union minister is aware of Nitesh Rane's whereabouts, the notice mentioned.
The police asked Narayan Rane to present his son before them after receiving the notice. They also asked the Union minister to record his statement in connection with case, the notice stated. Nitesh Rane, who is the BJP MLA from Kankavli, had filed an anticipatory bail application in the attempt to murder case to seek relief from any coercive action against him. The case is linked to the alleged attack on a 44-year-old Shiv Sena party worker, Santosh Parab.
Amid speculation about Nitesh Rane's possible arrest in the case, Narayan Rane had on Tuesday claimed his son was being falsely implicated in the case and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra was misusing its power. He had questioned why top police officials were camping in Sindhudurg district. Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis also targeted the government saying "MVA ignores people accused of serious crimes but issues notice to a union minister and calls him to the police station." "BJP strongly stands behind Narayan Rane," he added. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that being a union minister Narayan Rane should help the police officials in the probe and respect the law.
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