Tadipaar Congress leader openly holds election meetings and rallies, freely visits police station that externed him, and wins Ambernath civic poll

Akela

INDIA! What a country! Where a cocky little criminal, a tadipaar goonda, can openly flout the law and hold meetings, rallies, run a full-fledged poll campaign, visit the police station and finally even win the municipal election!

And though the Ambernath police had themselves served the man in question the tadipaar (externment) notice, they dare not, or are unable to, arrest him.

Surendra Nagu Yadav (39) is the name of the externed person. He is a resident of Mahant Shyamaldas Chowk, Buwa Pada, Amberanth (West), Thane district.

He is now also a municipal councillor.

The Ambernath municipal election was held for 52 seats this year with voting on April 22. Yadav was the Congress candidate from Ward No 8.

On April 1, the Ambernath police served the tadipaar notice (copy available with ABI) to Surendra Yadav, informing him that he had been externed for six months from Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban and Thane districts. Yadav did not bother himself with the notice. He got a ticket from the Congress, submitted his nomination form, held meetings, and went campaigning door to door.

FIVE-STAR TREATMENT FROM POLICE

As if all this were not enough, Yadav even visited the Ambernath police station three times to settle petty disputes with candidates.

“Senior Police Inspector Vilas Sonavane, who had served the externment notice to Yadav, himself welcomed Yadav three times at the police station and favoured him in all disputes,” said a defeated candidate.

Yadav finally won the election. He defeated his nearest rival, Shiv Sena’s Pramod Chaubey, by a margin of four votes.

On April 29, Yadav filed a writ petition (copy available with ABI) seeking a stay on the externment order in the Bombay High Court, but a bench of Justice Anuja Prabhudesai and Justice Ranjit More disposed of his petition.

“We were shocked. Yadav has been declared tadipaar by the Ambernath police and has several criminal cases pending against him in various courts of law. He contested the election without any fear of the police. He was welcomed by the police and the municipal authorities after winning the election,” said Pramod Chaubey.

On May 27, a man named Surendra Ramsabad Yadav, not to be confused with our tadipaar winning candidate Surendra Nagu Yadav, complained to the Chief Minister and Home Minister, the Commissioner of Police, the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Zonal Assistant Commissioner of Police that his namesake was threatening him with dire consequences for not having cast his vote for him. The complainant Surendra Yadav alleged that the Ambernath police were avoiding taking action against the tadipaar Surendra Yadav as he had bribed them with large sums of money.

“We are continuing searching Yadav. We have alerted residents if Yadav seen in area inform us. We will arrest him as soon as possible,” said M A Bakare, assistant commissioner of police.

“I am out of town and you should yourself collect information about my externment”, said Surendra Yadav.