Hanuman Chalisa Row: Mumbai Police Arrest MP-MLA Couple; Who Are Ravi & Navneet Rana?

Mumbai: Ravi Rana, an Independent MLA, and his wife Navneet Rana, an Independent MP, were on Saturday evening arrested by Mumbai police over the Hanuman Chalisa controversy.

Khar police have registered a case under section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) against the couple.

Ravi and Navneet had threatened to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s residence, Matoshree, to “ward off calamities that have been hitting the state ever since Thackeray took over as chief minister”.

They, however, called off the protest earlier today citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mumbai visit.

“We have decided to call off our proposed programme in view of the Prime Minister’s impending visit to the city and the hardship that the residents of the city and the police have had to face over the last few hours,” Ravi had announced.

He was referring to Shiv Sena workers breaking barricades and attempting to enter Ravi and Navneet’s residence.

DCP (Zone 9) Manjunath Shenge had served a notice to the couple to prevent a law-and-order issue, saying they will be held responsible if there is disturbance.

After being booked, Ravi and Navneet submitted a written complaint to Mumbai Police, stating that all 700 people including the CM, Shiv Sena leaders Anil Parab and Sanjay Raut should also be booked under sections 120B, 143, 147, 148, 149, 452, 307, 153A, 294, 504, 506. They were later arrested.

KNOW THE RANAS

Ravi is a three-time MLA who represents the Badnera Vidhan Sabha constituency, in Amravati district. In 2019 Assembly elections, he defeated Shiv Sena candidate by over 15,000 votes and pledged to support the BJP unconditionally.

In 2011, Ravi had started an indefinite fast in central jail demanding fair price for farmers’ products.

Ravi married Navneet, an actress who worked in Telugu cinema. It was a mass marriage ceremony which took place on February 3, 2011, in the presence of then-CM Prithviraj Chavan and other political leaders, VIPs.

Navneet lost in the 2014 Lok Sabha election when she fought on an NCP ticket from Amravati constituency, but went on to beat Shiv Sena candidate five years later when she contested as an Independent.