Congress MLA Nitesh Rane arrested for throwing fish at government official

Maharashtra Congress MLA Nitesh Rane was arrested for allegedly throwing fish at government official during a meeting last week, police said.

On Thursday, Rane allegedly threw a fish at a senior Maharashtra government officer during a meeting called to discuss problems being faced by a section of the fishermen community in the Konkan region.

In a video clip aired by local news channels, Rane is purportedly seen talking to the the Fisheries Commissioner of Sindhudurg in his office packed with people. It further showed that during the meeting, the legislator suddenly lost his cool, picked up a dead fish which was dumped on the commissioner’s table and threw it at him.

The MLA from Kankavli in coastal Sindhudurg district said he did so to protest against the officer’s alleged “ignorant attitude” towards the woes of the traditional fishing community of the Konkan region. “There are two kinds of fishermen in Sindhudurg. One who use traditional methods for fishing and the other who use modern technology,” Rane said.

He said according to the state government’s rules, fishing areas are clearly demarcated for both communities. Yet, those using modern technology often cross over to the areas earmarked for fishermen using traditional methods, resulting in financial losses to them, he alleged.

“We approached the Fisheries Commissioner of Sindhudurg and brought to his notice the government’s GR of 4 February, 2016, that lays down clear rules for both communities of fishermen…. Due to ignorant attitude of officers like the Fisheries Commissioner, nothing is being done to enforce these rules due to which traditional fishermen are incurring huge losses,” he said.

To add to the woes of traditional fishermen, their counterparts from neighbouring states also enter into the waters of Maharashtra, claimed Rane, son of senior Congress leader and former chief minister Narayan Rane.

“No steps have been taken to solve these issues. Traditional fishermen are facing injustice for long now. Thus, we had to take an aggressive stand today,” Rane said.