Mumbai:

Congress MP from Mumbai North Central, Varsha Gaikwad on Thursday targeted the Maharashtra government after Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan sustained minor injuries following a fight with an intruder who entered his residence.

In a post on X, Gaikwad said that the incident happened in Bandra which is considered a safe neighbourhood.

“Extremely shocked at this brazen attack. What is going on in Mumbai? That this happens in Bandra in a what is known as a safe neighbourhood, is what is most concerning. What security can the common man then expect?” the Congress MP said.

She also demanded answers from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the incident.

“Day in and day out we hear of gun violence, robberies, stabbing incidents in Mumbai and MMR and the government has no answers. We need answers Dev_Fadnavis,” she said.

Bollywood actor Pooja Bhatt also reacted to the incident and called for more police security in the Bandra area.

“Can this lawlessness please be curbed @MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice? We need more Police presence in Bandra. The city & especially the queen of the suburbs has never felt so unsafe before. Kind Attn,” she said.

According to Mumbai Police, the incident occurred late Wednesday night when the intruder engaged in an argument with the actor’s maid.

When Saif Ali Khan attempted to intervene and calm the situation, the unknown individual turned aggressive and the two were engaged in a fight, causing the actor to sustain injuries. The investigation is going on. The actor, who was immediately attended to, has been admitted to the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai for treatment.

According to an official statement from the actors team, “There was an attempted burglary at Saif Ali Khan’s residence. He is currently in hospital undergoing a surgery. We request the media and fans to be patient. It is a police matter We will keep you updated on the situation.”

The police have initiated a full investigation into the matter.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dixit Gedam, “The actor and the intruder had a scuffle. The actor is injured and is being treated. Investigation is ongoing.”

Mumbai:

Sixteen senior Maharashtra Congress leaders have written to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanding that its Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad be replaced to strengthen the party ahead of upcoming state poll.

The leaders complain that Ms Gaikwad, who recently won the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat, does not have the time to work at the organisational level and have objected to her style of functioning, NDTV has learnt.

Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat’s Congress candidate Bhushan Patil has also claimed he received no help from the city party unit.

These leaders, in a letter dated June 16, have sought time from the Congress leadership to discuss rejuvenation of the party in Mumbai ahead of the assembly elections, and the Mumbai civic polls which are overdue.

Signatories of the letter include Rajya Sabha MP and Congress Working Committee member Chandrakant Handore, former city party chiefs Janardhan Chandurkar and Bhai Jagtap, senior leaders Naseem Khan, Suresh Shetty, Madhu Chavan, Charansingh Sapra, Zakir Ahmed and Maharashtra Congress treasurer Amarjit Manhas.

“Recently, at a protest in connection with the UGC-NET exam chaos, Gaikwad did not call all party leaders at the city unit office. Hence they had to stage a separate protest in suburbs,” reported news agency PTI citing a source. 

“It is now 13 months she is the city unit head, but she has not spearheaded any substantial activity to galvanize the party cadre,” the news agency reported claimed citing the unnamed source.

A meeting related to Maharashtra is scheduled in Delhi on Tuesday.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Congress won only 4 of the 36 seats in Mumbai.

During the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Congress secured 1 of the 2 seats it contested in the city.