The Mumbai Press Club on Friday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to take strict action against Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Jitendra Awhad for assaulting a journalist.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane posted a video on X in which Awhad could be seen slapping a journalist who was recording his conversation with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Ambadas Danve.

It is unclear when the video was shot.

In its statement issued on Friday, the Mumbai Press Club described Awhad’s actions as “shameful”. It said that such behaviour by an elected representative is “unacceptable and raises concerns about the safety and security” of journalists covering the Assembly session.

“The Assembly premises are a democratic space where journalists have the right to report freely without fear or intimidation,” stated the press body. “An assault like this not only violates the freedom of the press but also sends out a dangerous message to the entire journalist community.”

It demanded that “concrete measures be put in place to ensure the safety of all journalists who are covering the proceedings of the House”.

“No elected leader has the right to raise a hand on a journalist,” stated the Mumbai Press Club. “We stand firmly with our colleague and reiterate that attacks on the press will not be tolerated.”

Awhad booked after clash inside Assembly

Meanwhile, a case was registered against Awhad for allegedly obstructing the work of the police during a protest against the detention of one of his supporters, reported ANI. This came a day after a scuffle broke out between workers of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and the Bharatiya Janata Party inside the Assembly premises.

“Yesterday, after a fight between BJP and NCP workers at Vidhan Bhavan, Jitendra Awhad and his workers obstructed the work by sitting in front of the police vehicle in the evening,” stated the police.

Awhad had launched a sit-in protest around 2 am after the police detained his supporter Nitin Deshmukh, who was involved in the scuffle with supporters of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar.

Awhad alleged that the police were acting in a biased manner by arresting only his aide while Padalkar’s supporters were being treated leniently, The New Indian Express reported.

The MLA reportedly physically blocked the police vehicle and had to be forcibly removed by security personnel.

Speaker bans entry of visitors

Against this backdrop, the Maharashtra speaker on Friday imposed a blanket ban on visitors to the state Assembly during the Monsoon Session, The Indian Express reported.

“The conduct of Nitin Deshmukh and Sarjerao Takle [Padalkar’s guest] has brought disrepute to the legislature,” the newspaper quoted Narwekar as saying. “I am handing over the matter to the Privileges Committee and directing that a police complaint be lodged.”

Narwekar also said that an ethics committee empowered to disqualify members will be formed within a week to ensure proper conduct of the legislators.

Citing security concerns and the need to maintain legislative decorum, he also directed ministers not to hold meetings within the Assembly complex. All briefings and official interactions must take place at the state secretariat, the newspaper quoted Narwekar as saying.

MLAs will be held responsible for the actions of those accompanying them, he added.