Kolhapur: The Sangli City police have registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against a 30-year-old music composer and filmmaker from Mumbai. The case is based on a complaint filed by Vidnyan Mane (34), a film producer and resident of Sangli.
Police Action
A team has been dispatched to Mumbai to trace and secure the custody of the accused composer, said Sandeep Bhagwat, deputy superintendent of police in Sangli, on Wednesday. The police have invoked charges under sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Atrocity Act, which pertain to insults, intimidation, and abuse, along with sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These offences are cognisable and non-bailable.
Details of the Complaint
According to the complainant, the alleged incident occurred in November last year at a toll plaza on the Sangli-Ashta road. The complainant had lent Rs 25 lakh to the music composer approximately two years ago for directing a movie. When he demanded repayment, a verbal exchange took place, during which the composer allegedly hurled caste-based slurs and abuses at the complainant.
Bhagwat stated that the complainant has submitted evidence supporting his claim of lending money, including chat records and screenshots of the transactions. The complainant was promised a return of Rs 40 lakh on the Rs 25 lakh loan. The complainant also claims that there were two to three eyewitnesses who heard the casteist abuse. Additionally, the complainant alleges that the music composer was planning to direct a movie, but the project could not materialise.
