No need for police to wait for formal complaint to probe case of MLA assaulting canteen staffer: CM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said there was no need for the police to wait for a formal complaint to initiate a probe into the incident where Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad assaulted a canteen staffer for serving him “stale food”.

The police should probe the case and if it is a cognisable offence, they will take appropriate action, he told reporters on the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex, here.

Viral video footage showing Gaikwad slapping and punching an employee at the MLAs’ hostel canteen here for serving “stale food” drew widespread condemnation from the government and opposition. In the video, the Buldhana MLA is seen confronting the canteen contractor and forcing him to smell a packet of dal before slapping and punching him.