Maharashtra Minister Abdul Sattar, a senior leader of the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, courted controversy yet again after he allegedly instructed the police to lathi-charge and “break the bones” of revellers during a dance show organised on occasion of his birthday in Sambhajinagar district.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night in Sillod town during a performance by popular dancer Gautami Patil, which was organised by Mr. Sattar as part of his birthday celebrations.
In a video clip which went viral, Mr. Sattar, the Minority Development Minister, is seen urging an apparently unruly crowd of revellers to sit down.
However, when the situation did not improve, Mr. Sattar is seen sternly instructing the police to use batons to control the situation.
“Beat them like dogs...baton-charge the people at the back. Beat them so much that their bones are broken,” he is seen instructing police in the microphone while exhorting the crowd to be seated and enjoy the show instead of creating an apparent ruckus.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) lost no time in censuring the Minister for the statements, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, lashing out at Mr. Sattar for his inappropriate language.
“The kind of language that Sattar used perhaps suits his culture and values… this has also been accepted by the Shinde faction and the BJP that are ruling the State,” Mr. Danve said.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe wondered whether Mr. Sattar was a Minister or a goon.
“Will the Chief Minister show courage by taking action against Sattar? He uses language like ‘beat them till their bones break’, ‘beat them like dogs’ is a stigma attached to Maharashtra. The public will show such Ministers in the BJP-led government their right place,” Mr. Londhe said.
This is not the first time that Mr. Sattar has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Soon after the formation of the new Shinde-Fadnavis government in June 2022, Mr. Sattar found himself in hot water after the names of two of his daughters appeared among the list of candidates debarred by the Maharashtra State Council of Exams (MSCE) for their involvement in the teacher eligibility test (TET) scam.
The TET scam had unfolded in December 2021, when it was revealed that thousands of candidates had got their marks inflated while some secured fake certificates by paying cash. In August 2023, the MSCE released a list which said that 7,880 candidates were found by a police investigation to be involved in tampering with the results despite failing the exams. The names of Mr. Sattar’s daughters were found in this list.
In October 2021, Mr. Sattar dubbed Uddhav Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray as “Chhota Pappu” while sarcastically asking Beed District Collector Radhabinod Sharma if he “drank alcohol” during a field visit.
In November that year, Mr. Sattar’s unparliamentary language against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule triggered State-wide protests not only by the NCP but condemnation across the social and political spectrum, including by leaders in the ruling Shinde group.
